Screening for diabetes early in pregnancy doesn't actually make moms or babies any healthier.
March 24, 2026
Original Paper
Existing Evidence Does not Support Early Diagnosis of Gestational Hyperglycemia
SSRN · 6445365
The Takeaway
Despite the intuitive assumption that 'earlier is better' for medical diagnosis, a systematic review found no evidence that early testing changes clinical results. This challenges standard medical guidelines that have increasingly pushed for earlier interventions.
From the abstract
Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), defined as hyperglycaemia first identified during pregnancy, is associated with increased risks of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Standard screening is typically performed at 24–28 weeks’ gestation; however, earlier screening before 20 weeks has been proposed to improve outcomes. Evidence supporting early screening or diagnosis remains inconsistent. We aimed to evaluate whether early screening or early diagnosis of GDM (before 20 weeks) i