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An international study has confirmed that a pregnant women with even slightly higher than normal blood sugar levels are at increased risk for a range of pregnancy and delivery-related complications. This study will appear in the May 8 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. The large study examined the risks associated with having elevated blood sugar during pregnancy that is not high enough to be considered gestational diabetes. More than 25,000 pregnant women from nine countries took part in the study.

It was founded in the study that even a small rise in blood sugar above what is considered normal was associated with an increase in adverse outcomes. These included high birth weight, C-section delivery, and preeclampsia, a complication that can lead to premature birth and can be deadly if not treated.

One of the researchers said, “This lays to rest many of the criticisms about gestational diabetes treatment. The critics have said that it isn’t elevated glucose that leads to negative outcomes, it is obesity or maternal age or some other risk factor. But we were able to control for these risk factors, and glucose was still a major determinant of outcomes.”

The researchers have concluded that elevated blood sugar has a direct negative impact on pregnancy and delivery.