Impactful Poster and Paper Presentation Topics in OBGYN
Focus your presentation on diabetes in pregnancy—specifically gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) management, preconception care optimization, or postpartum diabetes prevention—as these topics address critical morbidity and mortality outcomes with robust, recent guideline support and significant clinical impact.
High-Impact Topic Areas
Diabetes in Pregnancy: Management and Outcomes
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus represents one of the most common and consequential metabolic complications of pregnancy, affecting both immediate and long-term maternal and fetal outcomes 1.
Key presentation angles include:
Glycemic targets and monitoring strategies: Present the evidence for fasting glucose <95 mg/dL and either 1-hour postprandial <140 mg/dL or 2-hour postprandial <120 mg/dL, emphasizing how postprandial monitoring reduces preeclampsia risk 1.
Treatment algorithms: Compare lifestyle modification (effective in 70-85% of GDM cases) versus insulin as first-line pharmacologic therapy, noting that metformin and glyburide cross the placenta and lack long-term safety data 1.
Medical nutrition therapy protocols: Detail the specific Dietary Reference Intakes of minimum 175g carbohydrate, 71g protein, and 28g fiber for pregnant women with GDM 1.
Preconception Care for Women with Diabetes
Achieving A1C <6.5% prior to conception dramatically reduces congenital anomalies (especially anencephaly, microcephaly, congenital heart disease, renal anomalies, and caudal regression), preeclampsia, and preterm birth 1.
Critical elements for presentation:
Interprofessional care models: Demonstrate how coordinated care involving endocrinology, maternal-fetal medicine, registered dietitian nutritionists, and diabetes educators improves outcomes 1.
Comprehensive preconception checklist: Present the systematic approach including nutrition assessment, lifestyle recommendations, diabetes self-management education, supplementation (400mg folic acid), and screening for complications (retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy) 1.
Medication optimization: Highlight the critical need to discontinue ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and statins before conception, though recent evidence suggests pravastatin may be considered in high-risk cases through shared decision-making 1.
Preeclampsia Prevention with Low-Dose Aspirin
Women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes should receive low-dose aspirin 60-150 mg/day (typically 81 mg/day) starting by the end of the first trimester to reduce preeclampsia risk [1, @18@].
This topic offers:
Clear intervention with proven benefit: Cost-benefit analyses demonstrate this approach reduces morbidity, saves lives, and lowers healthcare costs 1.
Implementation strategies: Present practical protocols for initiating aspirin at 12 weeks gestation in high-risk women 1.
Postpartum Diabetes Prevention After GDM
Women with GDM have a 10-fold increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, with absolute risk increasing linearly: 20% at 10 years, 30% at 20 years, 40% at 30 years, 50% at 40 years, and 60% at 50 years 1.
Compelling presentation angles:
Intervention efficacy: Both lifestyle intervention and metformin reduce progression to diabetes by 35-40% over 10 years; only 5-6 women with prediabetes and prior GDM need treatment to prevent one case of diabetes over 3 years 1.
Postpartum screening protocols: Present the evidence for 75-g OGTT at 4-12 weeks postpartum using nonpregnancy criteria, emphasizing why OGTT is preferred over A1C (which may be artificially lowered by pregnancy) 1.
Weight management strategies: Each unit BMI increase from prepregnancy to follow-up increases type 2 diabetes risk by 18%; conversely, weight loss in women with BMI >25 kg/m² reduces GDM risk in subsequent pregnancies 1.
Contraception Planning in Women with Diabetes
All women with diabetes of childbearing potential require regular family planning review, as the majority of pregnancies are unplanned and uncontrolled diabetes at conception dramatically increases congenital malformation risk 1.
Key points for presentation:
Universal contraceptive access: Women with well-controlled diabetes can safely use all contraceptive methods available to women without diabetes, as the risk of unplanned pregnancy outweighs any contraceptive risk 2.
Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC): Present LARC as ideal for women with diabetes due to superior efficacy in preventing unplanned pregnancy 1, 2.
Immediate postpartum implementation: Emphasize the critical window for contraceptive counseling and initiation in the immediate postpartum period 1.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Your Presentation
Don't present oral agents as equivalent to insulin for GDM: Metformin and glyburide cross the placenta and lack long-term offspring safety data; insulin remains first-line 1.
Avoid oversimplifying insulin physiology: Early pregnancy features enhanced insulin sensitivity and lower requirements, but insulin resistance increases exponentially in the second and early third trimesters 1.
Don't neglect diabetic ketoacidosis risk: Pregnancy is ketogenic, and DKA occurs at lower glucose levels than in non-pregnant states, carrying high stillbirth risk 1.
Don't ignore retinopathy screening: Rapid euglycemia implementation in women with retinopathy can worsen the condition; dilated eye exams are required before pregnancy or in first trimester, then every trimester and for 1 year postpartum 1.
Why These Topics Matter
These presentation topics directly address morbidity (congenital anomalies, preeclampsia, macrosomia), mortality (stillbirth, neonatal mortality from DKA), and quality of life (long-term diabetes prevention, family planning autonomy) 1. The evidence base is robust, with multiple recent high-quality guidelines from the American Diabetes Association and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 1. These topics also offer clear, actionable clinical protocols that translate directly to improved patient outcomes 1.