Glucose tolerance tests in women with small-for-date fetuses and newborns.
Peroral glucose tolerance tests were performed in women with small-for-date fetuses and in controls with healthy fetuses in the 38th week of pregnancy, 2 days and 6 weeks after delivery. 2 h after the load of 50 g of glucose, the blood glucose level remained significantly higher in pregnant women with small-for-date fetuses. The other parameters followed did not exhibit any difference from the control group. Since this deviation disappeared very rapidly after delivery it may be supposed that it is caused by hormonal and other influences of the atypical conceptus and not by a primary derangement of maternal metabolism or by a disparate responsiveness of the maternal organism to pregnancy.