The International Diabetes Federation recently endorsed the 1-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) as a more convenient alternative to the traditional 2-hour OGTT, especially for women with hyperglycaemia during pregnancy. Research has shown that many women fail to complete the 2-hour test postpartum due to its time-consuming nature, despite the fact that it is recommended within six months after delivery to monitor for conditions like prediabetes or diabetes.
A study involving 369 women who underwent 2-hour 75-gram OGTTs at multiple intervals postpartum (3 months, 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years) compared the effectiveness of the 1-hour test at predicting the development of dysglycaemia. The results revealed that the 1-hour glucose measurement at 3 months postpartum identified nearly all women who would later develop dysglycaemia, with 1-hour glucose emerging as the strongest predictor of postpartum metabolic issues. Notably, the cumulative incidence of dysglycaemia increased progressively over five years for those with higher 1-hour glucose levels.
The study’s findings suggest that the 1-hour OGTT could be a more effective strategy for postpartum women, improving the rates of early detection and reclassification of women at risk for diabetes or prediabetes after experiencing hyperglycaemia in pregnancy. With higher predictive value and greater convenience, this test could potentially help more women receive timely interventions for long-term health management.
Helena Bradbury, EMJ
Reference
Retnakaran R et al. One-hour oral glucose tolerance test for the postpartum reclassification of women with hyperglycemia in pregnancy. 2025; doi: 10.2337/dc24-1848.
