BACKGROUND: Among singleton pregnancies, gestational diabetes mellitus is associated with adverse outcomes. In twin pregnancies, this association may be attenuated, given the higher rate of prematurity and the a priori increased risk of some of these complications. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to test the hypothesis that gestational diabetes mellitus is less likely to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in twin compared with singleton gestations. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study comprised all twin and singleton live births in Ontario, Canada, 2012e2016. Pregnancy outcomes were compared between women with vs without gestational diabetes mellitus, analyzed separately for twin and singleton births. Adjusted risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals were generated using modified Poisson regression, adjusting for maternal age, nulliparity, smoking, race, body mass index, preexisting hypertension, and assisted reproductive technology. RESULTS: A total of 270,843 women with singleton (n ¼ 266,942) and twin (n ¼ 3901) pregnancies met the inclusion criteria. In both the twin and singleton groups, gestational diabetes mellitus was associated with (adjusted risk ratio, [95% confidence interval]) cesarean delivery (1.11 [1.02e1.21] and 1.20 [1.17e1.23], respectively) and preterm birth at <37 0/7 weeks

Women with twins are at increased risk of GDM, mainly due to a higher rate of diet-treated GDM. Despite higher baseline risk of GDM in women with twins, the effect of known risk factors for GDM is similar to that observed in singletons.