Insights from gestational diabetes study
Thursday February 16th, 2017
A major study of the effects of gestational diabetes, reported today, has traced the impact of different treatments on the success of pregnancies.
French researchers studied nearly 800,000 deliveries, including more than 57,000 involving mothers with gestational diabetes.
The study found a 30% increased risk of pre-term birth from gestational diabetes together with a 70% increased risk of pre-eclampsia.
The risk of cardiac malformation increased by 30% and was strongly linked to insulin treatment.
The researchers say that women treated through diet faced a moderately increased risk of losing the baby when delivery took place after 37 weeks.
The study, reported in <i>Diabetologia</i>, was led by Dr Sophie Jacqueminet, of the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, France, and Professor Delphine Mitanchez, of the Armand Trousseau Hospital, Paris, France.
They write: "Although more investigation is needed, this study helps illuminate the controversy about timing of delivery in GDM pregnancy.”
Dr Emily Burns, from Diabetes UK, said: “Research like this can help us find potential ways to overcome the risks that women with gestational diabetes face.
“The overall risk of complications during pregnancy for these women is relatively low, but we need to eliminate it completely."
Tags: Childbirth and Pregnancy | Diabetes | Europe | UK News | Women's Health & Gynaecology
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