AimsThere are few published data on the putative association between the ABO blood group/rhesus (Rh) factor and the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Our aim was to explore the link between each one factor and GDM development.MethodsAll women having given birth at Lille University Medical Center (Lille, France) between August 1st, 2017, and February 28th, 2018, were tested for GDM, using the method recommended in the French national guidelines. The risk of GDM was assessed for each ABO blood group, each Rh phenotype and combinations thereof, using logistic regression models.Results1194 women had at least one GDM risk factor. The percentage of GDM varied with the ABO group (p=0.013). Relative to group O women, group AB women were more likely to develop GDM (OR = 2.50, 95% CI [1.43 to 4.36], p=0.001). Compared with the Rh-positive O group, only the Rh-positive AB group had an elevated risk of developing GDM (OR = 3.02, 95% CI [1.69 to 5.39], p < 0.001).ConclusionsOur results showed that Rh-positive group AB women have a greater risk of GDM. With a view to preventing GDM, at-risk individuals could be identified by considering the ABO blood group phenotype either as a single risk factor or in combination with other risk factors.

Labor induction is frequently used in contemporary obstetrics practice and its rates have continued to increase. 1 Recent studies have led to modifications of paradigms for labor induction. Indeed, labor induction at 39 weeks of pregnancy in low-risk nulliparous women results in decreased cesarean rates without increasing adverse perinatal outcomes. 2,3 However, predicting successful labor induction, which is defined as vaginal delivery, is still a challenge, especially in women with an unfavorable cervix. 4,5 Different scoring systems have been proposed to address this problem. The reference standard, the Bishop score, is based on five