Post-partum follow-up of women with gestational diabetes mellitus: effectiveness, determinants, and barriers

Abstract

Background: Despite the recommendations for postpartum blood glucose monitoring post gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM); scientific evidence reveals that these recommendations may not be fully complied to. This study aimed to follow-up women up to 2 years post-delivery with pregnancies complicated by GDM and healthy controls to assess this fact.

Methods: Women with GDM (n = 78) and normal glucose tolerant (n = 89) delivered in 2014 were followed up for 2 years. They were informed and enquired via telephone about their blood glucose screening, physical activity, postpartum complications, and current weight status of mother and baby.

Results: Women with previous GDM were older and reported higher body weight 2 years post-delivery. At the 2 year follow-up, n = 11 (14.1%) participants had developed diabetes, all with previous GDM. Both weight at birth (3.8 ± 0.5 kg) and at 2-year (10.7 ± 2.3 kg) for the babies born to GDM mothers was significantly higher than the NGT group babies (2.6 ± 0.63 and 7.1 ± 1.4 kg; p < .05). Only 27 women regularly opted for T2DM screening via monitoring blood glucose or HbA1c levels postpartum. The top reason for failed screening included: believing that GDM would disappear after delivery, and being occupied with the baby.

Conclusions: The high incidence of T2DM in women with previous GDM is an alarming finding. Given this trend, systematic follow-up programs are needed to reduce obesity and diabetes risk.

Keywords:

• Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
• screening
• diabetes mellitus
• maternal–fetal outcomes

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all study participates for this study.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have nothing to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.