Introduction: Gestational diabetes is the most common medical disorder during pregnancy. Presence or diagnosis of any glucose intolerance during pregnancy is defined as gestational diabetes. Monitoring and treatment of gestational diabetes during pregnancy are essential to the prevention of maternal and neonatal complications. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of gestational diabetes among pregnant women in Zabol city, Iran.

Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 363 pregnant women with gestational age of 24-28 weeks referring to the healthcare centers of Zabol city, Iran in 2015. Pregnant women with history of diabetes before pregnancy, pregnancy termination before week 24 of gestation, use of medications affecting glucose metabolism (e.g., steroids), and chronic liver, endocrine, and connective tissue disorders were enrolled in this study. Required data were collected using researcher-made questionnaires. To measure blood glucose before and one/two hours after glucose use, 75-gram glucose tolerance test was performed on the pregnant women with no history of diabetes and gestational age of 23-24 weeks. Gestational diabetes was defined in the presence of one of the following factors: fasting blood sugar≥92 _mg/dl, one-hour glucose≥180 _mg/dl, and two-hour glucose≥153 _mg/dl.

Results: Out of 363 pregnant women, 17 cases (4.7%) were diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Among the studied risk factors, maternal age and body mass index were observed to be associated with higher risk of gestational diabetes (P<0.05). However, no statistically significant correlations were found between the employment status, education level, and history of hypertension with gestational diabetes.

Conclusion: According to the results of this study, prevalence of gestational diabetes was at an average rate among the pregnant women in Zabol city. Therefore, it is recommended that selective monitoring be performed on this population based on the risk factors of the disease.