Prenatal assessment of fetal outcome by amniotic fluid C-peptide levels in pregnant diabetic women***

Abstract Amniotic fluid C-peptide (AFCP), insulin, and glucose levels were measured in 33 diabetic and 126 nondiabetic pregnant women at ≖36 weeks' gestation. Levels of AFCP distinguished diabetic from nondiabetic patients more reliably than amniotic fluid (AF) insulin or glucose. Levels of AFCP in diabetic patients correlated well with Infant birth weight adjusted for gestational ages(large for gestational age > adequate for gestational age), degree of diabetic control (fair to poor control > good control), or diabetogenic infant morbidity, but did not correlate, with classes of diabetes within the limits of the population studied. We conclude that AFCP is a usefull prognostic index tor predicting fetal outcome in diabetic pregnancies. A level of AFCP of ≖1.0 pmoles/ml is associated with an increased risk of macrosomia in infants of diabetic mothers. (Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 141:671, 1981.)