The benefits of the use of the new International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Groups guidelines for gestational diabetes mellitus

The diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been a source of controversy for many years. There have been those who have advised that it did not exist, those who advised that ‘the option of not screening for GDM is considered acceptable, and those who recommended that screening for GDM be stopped except for research purposes. There were multiple attempts to revise the original three‐hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) criteria for GDM, by shortening the duration of the test, reducing the glucose dose required for diagnosis, aligning with the criteria for hyperglycaemia among non‐pregnant adults and altering the diagnostic thresholds to reduce the number of women with the diagnosis. This resulted in a plethora of diagnostic criteria, further undermining the credibility of screening for, diagnosing, and managing GDM.