WASHINGTON -- A change in testing could nearly triple the number of women diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy, but would catching milder cases help mother or baby? A government panel is urging more research to find that out before doctors make the switch.
Gestational diabetes -- the kind that strikes during pregnancy -- is a growing problem.More women are getting it as they wait until their 30s or later to have a baby, and as they increasingly begin their pregnancies already overweight.It is one of the most common complications of pregnancy, and just about every woman gets checked for it.That's because if mom's high blood sugar isn't controlled, the fetus can grow too large, leading to C-sections and early deliveries.There are other problems, too: Mom can get dangerous high blood pressure; the baby can be born with low blood sugar; the baby's risk of obesity in childhood is increased. And while this kind of diabetes usually disappears when the baby's born, the mother is left with another risk. Months or years later, half of women who had it wind up developing full-fledged Type 2 diabetes.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
