A new study conducted in Qatar has highlighted the need to help women of childbearing age understand the importance of lifestyle choices in lowering their risk of gestational diabetes. The study’s lead author says gestational diabetes increases the risk of pregnancy complications and can cause serious and long-term health problems for both a woman and her child.
“During pregnancy, some women develop high blood sugar levels and this condition is known as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Gestational diabetes typically develops between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy. Like other forms of the disease, it affects how an individual’s cells use sugar,” said Dr. Mohammed Bashir, Diabetes and Endocrine Consultant at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Head of the Diabetes Clinic at the Women’s Wellness and Research Center (WWRC).
Dr. Bashir explains that with gestational diabetes, blood sugar levels usually return to normal soon after delivery but he says a woman who develops the condition is more likely to get it again during a future pregnancy and is also at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
“Gestational diabetes can cause complications that may affect a woman’s unborn baby in terms of excessive birth weight and pre-term birth. Additionally, around half of women who have gestational diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within five years of their first episode of the disease,” added Dr. Bashir, who is the study’s lead author.
Dr. Bashir says that while most women who have gestational diabetes deliver healthy babies, it is a condition that must be carefully managed. He says the consequences of gestational diabetes can be severe and long-term for both mother and child, noting that approximately one in five babies born to a mother who had gestational diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes by the age of 20, with approximately one in three developing the disease by the age of 30
“Making good lifestyle choices such as eating healthy foods and exercising can help reduce the risk of future type 2 diabetes so we work with patients who have had gestational diabetes to both monitor their condition and help manage their blood sugar,” added Dr. Bashir.
Dr. Bashir says gestational diabetes is an important public health issue that is affecting both this generation of young females and future generations. He says the study also highlights the importance of programs and initiatives geared toward providing weight-loss support for women of childbearing age.
“Our study found that between 70 and 80 percent of the women we examined were either overweight or obese at the start of their pregnancy. This is part of the reason for the high rate of gestational diabetes in Qatar. Helping woman, and families, to understand the risks of obesity is extremely important. We hope that the results of this study will motivate women of child-bearing age to reduce their weight before becoming pregnant,” said Dr. Bashir.
Dr. Bashir went on to say that the study is significant for all clinicians, but particularly for frontline clinicians who care for women during pregnancy. He says healthcare providers can play an important role in breaking what is becoming a dangerous trend.
“For the most part, gestational diabetes is preventable by avoiding excessive weight gain during pregnancy. Frontline healthcare professionals can play a role in emphasizing the importance of lifestyle modifications for their overweight and obese patients who are seeking to become pregnant. They can also help ensure pregnant women gain weight at a healthy and appropriate rate,” said Dr. Bashir.
Dr. Bashir says it is important for doctors, nurses, midwives, and other healthcare professionals who care for pregnant women to be knowledgeable about gestational diabetes because there are often no symptoms. He also stressed the importance of following the national guidelines for the management of diabetes in pregnancy and ensuring all pregnant women are screened.
“Two main factors determine diabetes - genetics, and environmental influences. Both of these factors converge to result in Qatar having a high prevalence of diabetes because most of Qatar’s residents come from areas that have high rates of diabetes, including the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. Much of the population also share the same living conditions and similar eating habits and exercise patterns. Our study found that the rate of gestational diabetes was similar among all ethnic groups and this further underscores the importance of good lifestyle choices and the role healthcare workers can play in highlighting this,” said Dr. Bashir.
Dr. Bashir says he hopes the study, which is titled ‘Prevalence of newly detected diabetes in
pregnancy in Qatar, using universal screening,’ will help inform planning for service delivery geared toward pregnant women. He says if we can prevent gestational diabetes, we can protect future generations from the burden of this complex disease.
