The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will review its guidelines for women with type 1 diabetes during pregnancy.
The agency’s review will focus on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology and how it could benefit pregnant women’s blood sugar control.
NICE announced the impending review following new evidence indicating how CGM use in pregnancy improved the health of both mother and baby.
The Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Pregnant Women with Type 1 Diabetes (CONCEPTT) study, which concluded in September 2017, revealed that expectant mothers who used CGMs throughout pregnancy had better blood glucose control. There were also fewer complications in newborns of mothers who used the technology.
NICE, the body that provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care, is also planning a partial update to guidance on the use of CGM before conception.
The changes will be based on further findings from the CONCEPTT trial which showed that many women did not favour changing the way they monitored their diabetes during pregnancy. It is thought introducing the CGM technology before, rather than during, pregnancy would be very beneficial.
Type 1 diabetes can increase the risk of related complications and it is beneficial for diabetes to be well managed before and during pregnancy.
NICE will now undergo a systematic evidence review to assess which guidelines changes it wants to implement. These recommendations with then go to a full consultation where they will be reviewed by a number of leading organisations including JDRF, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and Diabetes UK.
