Diabetes in Pregnancy on the Rise

A new study from Kaiser Permanente and the American Diabetes Association looked at over 175,000 teens and women giving birth over a seven year period. During this study they found:

• Diabetes increased fivefold among 13- to 19-year-olds giving birth
• Diabetes doubled among women 20- and 39-year-olds giving birth
• Diabetes increased by 40 percent among women 40 and older giving birth
• African-American, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander women were more likely to have diabetes before pregnancy than White women.

Gestational Diabetes (GD) is routinely screened for between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy using your health history. If your practitioner believes you need to have your blood screened based on the other health history screening, you will be tested at that point. This test is usually done by having your drink a really sweet drink called Glucola and then having your blood taken for testing. If you do not "pass" this version, then you will take a three hour test for gestational diabetes. Thankfully my doctor let me do the jelly bean alternative so I didn't have to drink the glucola.

Related:

• Gestational Diabetes (GD)
• Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT)
• Jelly Bean Diabetes Testing
• Common Prenatal Tests
• Most Common Birth Defects
• Pregnancy Complications

_Source:

Lawrence, J., Chen, W., Contreras, R., Sacks, D. Trends in the Prevalence of Preexisting Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Among a Racially/Ethnically Population of Pregnant Women, 1999-2005. Diabetes Care, Vol 31, Issue 5, May 2008.