Women with diabetes prior to pregnancy and those who develop the condition in pregnancy are at risk for certain complications during pregnancy. Among these complications is a risk of an excessively large baby. This is known as macrosomia. A larger baby increases the likelihood the mother will require medical interventions during the birth, including a higher risk of c section.
A study published in the British Medical Journal suggests an effective way for lowering this risk is through continuous glucose monitoring. Glucose monitoring is done by all diabetic pregnant women. This can be done in two ways, intermittent monitoring throughout the day or continuous monitoring.
The study in the British Medical Journal suggests continuous glucose monitoring is more effective in reducing the risk of macrosomia. For the study, women with diabetes before pregnancy and women with gestational diabetes were divided into two groups. One group had continuous monitoring taken every ten seconds. The second group used traditional finger prick methods of measuring blood glucose levels.
What researchers found was that women using continuous monitoring had lower blood glucose levels throughout the third trimester of pregnancy. In addition, they had lower levels of babies who developed macrosomia, although the risk for this group remained higher than women who were not diabetic.
It is critical for diabetic women to control their glucose levels during pregnancy. High glucose levels result in higher levels of glucose in the baby. This increases not only the risk of macrosomia, but other complications as well, both during the pregnancy and throughout the baby’s life. These include interventions during the birth and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes in the baby later in life.
The information gleaned from this study and others like it offer new insight for doctors and pregnant women. When making decisions regarding controlling diabetes in pregnancy, this information can be used to help guide the decision making. If you are diabetic and need to monitor blood glucose levels, discuss the best method with your doctor to ensure a lower risk for you and your baby.
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