| Summary: | Diabetes is a chronic medical condition in which the body impairs to the responding to or production of insulin, leading to the abnormal metabolism of sugar and increase in blood sugar level.1 Over the seven-year period (2004/2005 to 2010/2011), the rate of type 1 diabetes in pregnant women remained unchanged (about 2.9 per 1,000 deliveries), the rate of type 2 diabetes in pregnant women increased from 2.9 to 4.3 per 1,000 deliveries, and the rate of gestational diabetes increased from 40.8 to 54.5 per 1,000 deliveries.2 The rate of type 2 and gestational diabetes also increased with age.2 Pre-gestational (pre-existing type 1 or type 2) and gestational diabetes in pregnant women can have significant impact to pregnancy outcomes.3-5 Poor glycemic control in pre-gestational maternal diabetes and in gestational diabetes may be associated with pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, neonatal jaundice, and respiratory distress.3-5 Self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) is an essential part in diabetes care to achieve glycemic targets and to avoid diabetes-related adverse events.6 The frequency of SMBG tests that requires to adequately monitoring blood glucose levels depends on the patient circumstances and types of treatment.6 The majority of patients using insulin usually performed SMBG at least three times per day.6 For pre-gestational type 1 or type 2 diabetes, a more intense SMBG regimen may be indicated.6 For strict glucose monitoring during pregnancy, it is suggested that SMBG should be performed before a meal, one or two hours after a meal, and during the night.6 The aim of this report was to review the clinical and cost-effectiveness on the increasing frequency of SMBG test strips (i.e., from three to eight or 10 times per day) in pregnant women with diabetes. A review of evidence-based guidelines on the frequency of SMBG in pregnant women with diabetes was also conducted
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