Enzymatic assays were modified to permit sensitive and highly reproducible simultaneous measurements of D-mannose and D-glucose in biological fluids during weeks 34-40 of human pregnancy. Plasma mannose and glucose averaged 9.8 +/- 0.4 (+/- SEM) and 790 +/- 16 micrograms/ml, respectively, after an overnight fast in pregnant women (n = 22) with normal carbohydrate metabolism. Significantly higher plasma mannose levels were found, despite only minor increases in plasma glucose, in pregnant women with relatively well controlled diabetes mellitus after an overnight fast (16.9 +/- 0.6 micrograms/ml mannose; 883 +/- 29 micrograms/ml glucose; n = 31) or 3-4 h after breakfast (15.7 +/- 1.2 micrograms/ml mannose; 1159 +/- 101 micrograms/ml glucose; n = 19). Plasma mannose correlated significantly with plasma glucose in the women with diabetes mellitus, particularly after an overnight fast. Samples of amniotic fluid were also obtained from the gravida with diabetes mellitus to provide some index of simultaneous relationships in utero. Amniotic fluid mannose and glucose averaged 5.9 +/- 0.4 and 302 +/- 24 micrograms/ml, respectively, after an overnight fast and 6.7 +/- 1.3 and 459 +/- 84 micrograms/ml 3-4 h after breakfast. In amniotic fluid, as in plasma, the concurrent levels of mannose and glucose conformed to relatively fixed relationships. Thus, both fetus and mother appear to be exposed to readily demonstrable amounts of mannose during late gestation and the absolute as well as relative abundance of mannose may be increased coincident with faulty maternal glucoregulation. However, since mannose did not exceed 3% of the concurrent concentration of glucose in any instance, it does not seem likely that endogenous levels of circulating mannose can modify glucose utilization appreciably by competing with glucose for phosphorylation via hexokinase and subsequent intracellular processing.