At what frequency should glucose be monitored in labor for patients with gestational diabetes?

In patients with gestational diabetes during labor, glucose monitoring is essential to manage potential risks and ensure maternal and fetal safety. Monitoring every four hours is generally considered sufficient to provide a balance between frequent oversight and practicality, given that labor is an active process.

This frequency allows healthcare providers to identify any abnormal glucose levels that may require insulin adjustment or other interventions while avoiding excessive testing that could be uncomfortable for the patient or disrupt the labor process. Continuous glucose monitoring could also be used in specific cases, but for standard practice, checking glucose every four hours aligns with guidelines aimed at ensuring optimal maternal-fetal well-being during labor.

Other monitoring frequencies, such as once an hour or every two hours, may lead to unnecessary interventions or stress, whereas only checking before meals does not provide enough data to adequately monitor and manage glucose levels, especially in the dynamic environment of labor.