(CS), macrosomia, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes
(GDM) [5-7].
The prevalence of GDM in Saudi Arabia is 12%-18%
[8,9] which is one of the highest in the region and the
world. Although there is an international agreement
about the definition of GDM as “carbohydrate intolerance
that begins or is first recognized during pregnancy” [10],
there were many controversies about the adverse effects of
GDM on the pregnancy outcomes and the need for
screening and treatment of women who develop GDM
[11]. However recent reports of randomized controlled
trials and multicenter cohort studies, confirmed the need
for control of hyperglycemia in women with GDM to
improve the pregnancy outcomes [12] and that maternal
hyperglycemia at levels even lower than those for
diabetes mellitus (DM) are associated with adverse pregnancy
outcomes in a linear relationship [13]. GDM is