Interventions to prevent women from developing gestational diabetes mellitus: an overview of Cochrane Reviews

Review of 11 Cochrane Reviews (71 RCTs; n=23,154) found possible benefit with combination of exercise and diet, supplementation with myo‐inositol, supplementation with vitamin D and metformin in reducing risk, but further high‐quality evidence is needed.

Griffith RJ, Alsweiler J, Moore AE, Brown S, Middleton P, Shepherd E, Crowther CA. Interventions to prevent women from developing gestational diabetes mellitus: an overview of Cochrane Reviews. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020, Issue 6. Art. No.: CD012394. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD012394.pub3.

Antibiotics for asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy – Cochrane Review

Review (15 studies, n=2,000) reports antibiotic treatment may be effective in reducing risk of pyelonephritis in pregnancy, but confidence in the effect estimate is limited given the low certainty of the evidence.

Smaill  FM, Vazquez  JC. Antibiotics for asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD000490. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000490.pub4.

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Regimens of vitamin D supplementation for women during pregnancy – Cochrane review

Data from 30 RCTs (n=7,289) found that supplementing pregnant women with more than 600 units vitamin D may reduce the risk of gestational diabetes; but made little or no difference to the risk of pre‐eclampsia, preterm birth and low birthweight vs supplementing <600 units.

Palacios  C, Trak‐Fellermeier  MA, Martinez  RX, Lopez‐Perez  L, Lips  P, Salisi  JA, John  JC, Peña‐Rosas  JP. Regimens of vitamin D supplementation for women during pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019, Issue 10. Art. No.: CD013446. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013446.

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Antiplatelet agents for preventing pre‐eclampsia and its complications – Cochrane review

Review (77 trials; n=40,249) found that administering low‐dose aspirin to pregnant women led to small‐to‐moderate benefits, including reductions in pre‐eclampsia, preterm birth, baby being born small‐for‐gestational age and foetal/neonatal death.

Duley  L, Meher  S, Hunter  KE, Seidler  AL, Askie  LM. Antiplatelet agents for preventing pre‐eclampsia and its complications. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019, Issue 10. Art. No.: CD004659. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004659.pub3.

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Vaginal preparation with antiseptic solution before cesarean section for preventing postoperative infections

A new Cochrane systematic review found

“Author’s conclusion: Vaginal preparation with povidone‐iodine or chlorhexidine solution compared to saline or not cleansing immediately before cesarean delivery probably reduces the risk of post‐cesarean endometritis, postoperative fever, and postoperative wound infection. Subgroup analysis found that these benefits were typically present whether iodine‐based or chlorhexidine‐based solutions were used and when women were in labor before the cesarean”

Haas  DM, Morgan  S, Contreras  K, Kimball  S. Vaginal preparation with antiseptic solution before cesarean section for preventing postoperative infections. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD007892. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007892.pub7.