Oral anti-diabetic agents for women with pre-existing diabetes mellitus/impaired glucose tolerance or previous gestational diabetes mellitus.

While most guidelines recommend the use of insulin in women whose pregnancies are affected by pre-existing diabetes, oral agents have obvious benefits for patient acceptability and adherence. It is necessary, however, to assess the effects of these anti-diabetic agents on maternal and infant health outcomes. Additionally, women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus are increasingly found to be predisposed to impaired glucose tolerance and, despite the potential need for intervention for these women, there has been little evidence about the use of oral anti-diabetic agents by these women pre-conceptionally or during a subsequent pregnancy.