Metabolic screenings to detect diabetes to help pregnant women

New research has found that screening for metabolic status before pregnancy may help determine if a woman will develop type 2 diabetes once she has becomes pregnant.
It is known that diagnoses of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during pregnancy can lead to type 2 diabetes after a child is bor, so the study, which was published in the American Journal Epidemiology, examined this health risk, monitoring over 1,100 women aged between 18 and 30 who developed GDM prior to giving birth.
A number of factors were considered, with patients being asked about their medical conditions, medication use, lifestyle, family history of diabetes, number of pregnancies and births, and previous diagnoses of gestational diabetes. It was found that about 27 per cent of the patients that suffered from cardio-metabolic problems also developed GDM, and that over 7 per cent who had metabolic risks also had GDM.
The study therefore recommended that women should talk to their doctors about undergoing a metabolic screening prior to pregnancy.
Erica P. Gunderso, lead author of the study, said “Women may benefit from a focus on care before conception that would encourage screening for metabolic abnormalities before pregnancy, rather than only during pregnancy. Screening and treatment of metabolic risk factors before pregnancy to prevent GDM may help reduce its lasting adverse health effects on children .”