Study: Mothers with gestational diabetes who control their blood sugar had better baby outcomes

A recent research found that lowering the target blood sugar level for women with gestational diabetes did not reduce the likelihood of having big neonates but did lower the possibility of the baby dying or suffering harm during birth.

The results of research conducted by Caroline Crowther and a group from the University of Auckland in New Zealand were published in the journal PLOS Medicine. Gestational diabetes is a serious and spreading health issue that frequently results in the birth of exceptionally big newborns who have a high chance of developing type 2 diabetes and obesity as adults.

To manage their blood sugar, women can alter their diets and use medications, but it is still uncertain how closely those levels should be kept in check to reduce hazards to the mother and unborn child.

Pregnancy and Gestational Diabetes

Researchers studied 1,100 pregnant women with gestational diabetes who were examined at 10 hospitals in New Zealand to ascertain if stronger management is preferable. The study involved switching each hospital’s blood sugar objectives from higher to lower, and the results for the mothers and their offspring in each group were compared.

Tighter blood sugar management did not result in larger-than-expected newborns, but it did cut the risk of baby mortality, injury, and shoulder dystocia in half after delivery.

However, tighter management nearly quadrupled the chance of catastrophic health consequences for the mother, including issues like a big postpartum haemorrhage. The new findings can assist physicians in determining the target blood sugar level that each patient should work toward while controlling their gestational diabetes.

The study is the biggest randomised comparison of two blood sugar level objectives in a varied population that has been documented to date. The researchers do note that further randomised trials in other healthcare settings are still required to corroborate their findings.

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“This unique experiment allowed for the progressive deployment of the newly suggested stricter treatment objectives for women with gestational diabetes and investigated if there are real advantages, without harm, to usage of tighter treatment targets,” Crowther continues.

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