Dubai: Gestational diabetes is a condition that affects one out of 10 pregnant women in the UAE, said senior endocrinologists speaking to Gulf News. Awareness of the condition is low due to the lack of symptoms, the experts said.
Gestational diabetes usually develops after 28 weeks (third trimester) of pregnancy and generally disappears after the baby is born, said Dr Abdul Razzaq Ali Al Madani, president of the Emirates Diabetes Society and CEO of Dubai Hospital.
He said that gestational diabetes occurs when there is too much glucose (sugar) in the blood during pregnancy, and the body cannot produce enough insulin to transport it all into the cells. “The complications of gestational diabetes affect both the mother and the unborn child.”
He explained that it can cause premature birth; increase the risk of the baby being large for its gestational age (macrosomia); lead to placental abruption in which the placenta that links the blood supply to the unborn baby starts to come away from the wall of the womb; and cause perinatal death (stillborn baby), among others.
It could also lead to future conditions for the mother and baby, said Dr Hamed Farooqi, director of the Dubai Diabetes Centre at the DHA. He said these problems can range from an increased likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes for the mother and for the baby, a greater risk of diabetes, and obesity later in life. “A pregnant woman is at an increased risk of gestational diabetes if she is obese [BMI of 30 and more], she had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy, and has a family history of the condition,” he said.
“It is important to detect and control gestational diabetes either through diet and exercise and/or medication. A pregnant woman should monitor her blood glucose regularly throughout her pregnancy as well as check whether it returns to normal after delivery. As a matter of practice, women undergo a blood test at the second trimester to check for gestational diabetes,” he added.
