According to a study recently conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto, Canada, two common conditions experienced by pregnant women could put them at risk for developing type 2 diabetes years after pregnancy. The study was published in this week's issue of PLOS Medicine.
Marcella Ryan of Glendive, Montana is a type 1 diabetic who worried that her condition would prevent her from having children. Since type 1 diabetic mothers can often encounter difficulties during pregnancy such as miscarriage, pre-term labor, c-section, and more, Ryan worked with a diabetes clinic to ensure that her two pregnancies were successful.
A recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health has shown that women who have gestational diabetes during pregnancy can reduce their risk for type 2 diabetes by eating a healthy diet. Currently, about 5 percent of United States pregnancies result in women developing gestational diabetes.
Medical experts are currently debating whether or not they should modify a blood sugar test that will most likely double the amount of diagnoses of gestational diabetes in pregnant women. Gestational diabetes already complicates more than 7 percent of all pregnancies in the United States.
A new gestational diabetes testing method has recently been developed to make diagnosis for the condition easier and more inexpensive for pregnant women. If left untreated, gestational diabetes could have major health consequences for mothers and their children, including abnormal growth, hypoglycemia, and more.
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