Women

Gestational diabetes is diabetes which is diagnosed when a woman is pregnant. It may have been there before pregnancy without her knowing it, or it may have been brought about by the pregnancy itself. Either way, the woman needs to be as well informed about it as possible, as it can affect both her baby and herself on the short and long term.

Being a woman and having diabetes can mean double discrimination for women all over the world. Even more so in many developing countries, where women, whether they have diabetes or not, still have to fight harder than ever to achieve equal rights and equal opportunities. This article, however, will not offer a helpless victim's point of view.

Today, the chances of a successful pregnancy in a woman with diabetes are close to those of a woman without diabetes, providing diabetes and obstetric care is optimal. In other words, if a woman is able to look after her health, then in most cases diabetes should not prevent her from having a healthy baby.

In women with diabetes who come late in their pregnancy for antenatal care, it is difficult to calculate how many weeks pregnant they are, and hence difficult to optimize the time of delivery. Serious complications of diabetes can deteriorate and there is a high incidence of major birth defects in the babies. These abnormalities arise in the first ten weeks of pregnancy, which may be before a woman even knows she is pregnant or before she would come for antenatal care.

President's editorial

Editor-in-Chief's editorial

Pakistan is a South-Asian country with a population of approximately 150 million. Diabetes prevalence in Pakistan is high: 12% of people above 25 years of age suffer from the condition and 10% have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). When one considers the associated risk factors present in Pakistani society, the large number of people with diabetes is no surprise. Obesity tops the list.

Twenty years ago, medical opinion was against women with diabetic kidney disease (nephropathy) proceeding with pregnancy. With new technology and increasing experience, the outcome for these women and their children has improved substantially. Over the last decade, there has been a substantial decline in the number of women with diabetic nephropathy who die during pregnancy, childbirth and early maternity. Successful pregnancies with fetal survival rates of up to 95% are now achievable in women with diabetes who suffer kidney damage.

Populations around the world are getting fatter. People of all ages are showing signs of diabetes and other conditions which are associated with being fat. It has been found that people of African, Asian and Hispanic origins are at particularly increased risk from obesity and obesity-related conditions such as diabetes. Due to a variety of cultural and socio-economic factors, women from these populations seem to be at especially high risk from the dangers of overweight.