Intensive Glycemic Targets in Overweight and Obese Women With Gestational Diabetes (iGDM)

Intensive Glycemic Targets in Overweight and Obese Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Multicenter Randomized Trial

This is a multicenter randomized clinical trial of 828 overweight and obese individuals with gestational diabetes designed to compare standard to intensive glycemic targets.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Pregnancy, High Risk; Overweight and Obesity; Gestational Diabetes
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Intensive glycemic targets; Other: Standard glycemic targets

Detailed Description

The prevalence of both obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have increased, and each is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes including fetal overgrowth, neonatal morbidity, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and cesarean delivery. Women with GDM who are also overweight and obese have higher rates of pregnancy complications when compared to normal weight women with GDM, which may occur in part due to suboptimal glycemic control. The current recommendations for glycemic targets in pregnant women with diabetes are not rigorously defined, and they far exceed the mean fasting (70.9 ±7.8 mg/dL) and 1 hour post- prandial (108.9 ± 12.9 mg/dL) glucose values in pregnant women without GDM. Our prior work demonstrated that use of intensive (fasting <90, 1 hr post-prandial <120 mg/dL) compared to standard (fasting <95 mg/dL, 1 hr post-prandial <140 mg/dL) glycemic targets resulted in improved glycemic control without increasing the risk for hypoglycemia. The Intensive Glycemic Targets in Overweight and Obese Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Multicenter Randomized Trial (iGDM Trial) is a large, pragmatic randomized clinical trial designed to investigate the impact of intensive versus standard glycemic targets on perinatal outcomes in women with GDM who are overweight and obese. During the 5-year project period, a multidisciplinary team of investigators from 4 medical centers representing regions of the U.S. with high rates of obesity will randomize 828 overweight and obese women with GDM to either intensive or standard glycemic targets. The specific aims of this project are: 1) Determine the effectiveness of intensive glycemic targets in reducing the risk for neonatal composite morbidity and large for gestational age birthweight in overweight and obese women with GDM, 2) Assess the safety of intensive glycemic targets as measured by the frequency of maternal hypoglycemia in overweight and obese women with GDM, and 3) Evaluate the cost-effectiveness of intensive glycemic control compared with standard glycemic control as measured by the incremental cost per case of neonatal morbidity and LGA birth weight prevented and per Quality-adjusted Life-year. The expected outcome of this study is high-quality evidence on the effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of intensive glycemic targets in reducing adverse perinatal outcomes among overweight and obese women with GDM. If proven effective, use of intensive glycemic targets in overweight and obese women with GDM will have an important positive impact on the health of these high risk women and their infants.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 828
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Sarah Oswalt; Phone Number: (317)944-7069; Email: seoswalt@iu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Alabama
    • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35294
      • Recruiting
      • University of Alabama at Birmingham
      • Contact: Ashley Battarbee, MD, MSCR; Email: anbattarbee@uambc.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Ashley Battarbee, MD, MSCR
  • Indiana
    • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202
      • Recruiting
      • Indiana University
      • Contact: Christina Scifres, MD; Phone Number: 317-948-4103; Email: cmscifre@iu.edu
      • Contact: Sarah Oswalt, RN, BSN; Phone Number: (317) 944-7069; Email: seoswalt@iu.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Christina Scifres, MD
  • Oklahoma
    • Norman, Oklahoma, United States, 73019
      • Recruiting
      • University of Oklahoma
      • Contact: Stephanie Pierce, MD; Email: Stephanie-Pierce@ouhsc.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Stephanie Pierce, MD
  • Pennsylvania
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15260
      • Recruiting
      • University of Pittsburgh
      • Principal Investigator: Maisa Feghali, MD
      • Contact: Maisa Feghali, MD; Email: feghalim@mwri.magee.edu
  • Rhode Island
    • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02905
      • Recruiting
      • Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island
      • Contact: Methodius Tuuli, MD, MPH, MBA; Email: MTuuli@Wihri.org
      • Principal Investigator: Methodius Tuuli, MD, MPH, MBA

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 45 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women between the ages of 18-45
• Singleton gestation
• Gestational age between 12 0/7-32 6/7 weeks' gestation with gestational diabetes diagnosed during this time frame using either a 50g 1-hr GCT ≥200 mg/dL or two or more abnormal values on a 100g OGTT using the Carpenter-Coustan Criteria
• Overweight or obese BMI at the first prenatal visit (BMI ≥25 kg/m2 or ≥23 kg/m2 in Asian Americans)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability or unwillingness to provide informed consent
• Inability to communicate with members of the study team, despite the presence of an interpreter
• Planned delivery at a non-study affiliated hospital
• Known renal disease with a baseline creatinine >1.5 mg/dL
• Significant fetal anomalies diagnosed prior to study enrollment (these will include anomalies such as gastroschisis, spina bifida, complex congenital heart disease, or serious karyotypic anomalies that may lead to early delivery or increased risk of neonatal death)
• Oral or IV/IM steroid use within 7 days of study enrollment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intensive glycemic targets; Participants in this arm will target a fasting blood glucose of <90 mg/dL and 1 hour post-prandial blood glucose values <120 mg/dL.	Other: Intensive glycemic targets; Fasting blood glucose <90 mg/dL, 1 hour post-prandial blood glucose <120 mg/dL
Active Comparator: Standard glycemic targets; Participants in this arm will target a fasting blood glucose of <95 mg/dL and 1 hour post-prandial blood glucose values <140 mg/dL.	Other: Standard glycemic targets; Fasting blood glucose <95 mg/dL, 1 hour post-prandial blood glucose <140 mg/dL

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of participants with composite neonatal morbidity	Composite of large for gestational age birth weight, neonatal hypoglycemia, neonatal jaundice, and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome	Within 7 days of delivery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of participants with large for gestational age birth weight	≥90th percentile birth weight for gestational age, based on US birth weight normograms	Birth
Number of participants with neonatal hypoglycemia	Blood glucose <40 mg/dL in the 1st 24 hours of life	Within 24 hours of delivery
Number of participants with neonatal jaundice	Documentation of need for phototherapy	Within 7 days of delivery
Number of participants with respiratory distress syndrome	Signs of respiratory distress (tachypnea, grunting, nasal flaring, cyanosis) with an oxygen requirement within the first 24 hours of life and the presence of radiologic chest findings of hypoaeration and reticulogranular infiltrates or those needing immediate intubation for respiratory distress syndrome	Within 7 days of delivery
Maternal hyperglycemia	Percent of maternal glucose values ≥120 and ≥140 mg/dL from randomization through delivery	From randomization to delivery
Episodes of maternal hypoglycemia	Percent of all glucose values <60 mg/dL	From randomization to delivery
Number of episodes of symptomatic maternal hypoglycemia	Number of episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia, episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia requiring assistance	From randomization to delivery
Number of participants with small for gestational age birth weight	≤10th percentile birth weight for gestational age, based on US birth weight normograms	Birth
Number of participants with preterm birth <37 weeks	Gestational age at delivery <37 0/7 weeks (spontaneous or indicated)	Delivery
Number of participants with shoulder dystocia	Documentation in the medical record of failure to deliver the fetal shoulder with gentle downward traction on the fetal head, requiring additional obstetric maneuvers to effect delivery, as documented by the delivery physician	Delivery
Number of participants with NICU admission	Admission to the neonatal intensive care unit for any indication in the first 7 days of life	Within 7 days of delivery
Early maternal glycemic levels	Mean fasting and post-prandial values in the 7 days after randomization	7 days after randomization
Pre-delivery maternal glycemic levels	Mean fasting and post-prandial values in the 14 days prior to delivery	14 days prior to delivery
Glycemic levels during study enrollment	Mean fasting and post-prandial glucose values from study enrollment until delivery	Up to 29 weeks
Number of participants with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia)	Gestational hypertension • Requires systolic blood pressure ≥140 or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg on two occasions at least for hours apart after 20 weeks of gestational in a woman with a previously normal blood pressure Pre-eclampsia; Requires systolic blood pressure ≥140 or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg on two occasions at least for hours apart after 20 weeks of gestational in a women with a previously normal blood pressure and at least one of the following:69; Proteinuria (≥300 mg/24 hour timed collection, protein/creatinine ratio >0.3, or 2+ proteinuria on dipstick); Thrombocytopenia (platelets<100,000); Elevated blood concentrations of liver transaminases to twice normal concentration; Creatinine >1.1 mg/dL or a doubling of the serum creatinine concentration; Headache, blurry vision, or epigastric/RUQ pain; Pulmonary edema OR Systolic blood pressure of 160 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure of 110 mg Hg or more	From randomization up to 30 days after delivery
Number of participants with cesarean delivery	Cesarean delivery for any indication	Delivery
Infant adiposity	Calculated using a flank skinfold	Within 72 hours of delivery

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Indiana University
• Collaborators: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); University of Alabama at Birmingham; University of Pittsburgh; University of Oklahoma; Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Christina Scifres, MD, Indiana University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 8, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 19, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 15, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): November 18, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 6, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 2, 2025
• Last Verified: August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Urogenital Diseases; Endocrine System Diseases; Nutrition Disorders; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Metabolic Diseases; Overnutrition; Body Weight; Pregnancy Complications; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Overweight; Diabetes, Gestational; Diabetes Mellitus
• Other Study ID Numbers: 11435; R01HD101476 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Once the study is completed and the investigators have published the main manuscripts regarding the outcomes of the trial, de-identified data will be made available by request. All requests will require review and approval by the investigators and the institutional regulatory committees.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Data will be available one year after study completion.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Data access will be possible after approval of the request for data by the primary study team and after appropriate regulatory documents are in place.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No