LAHORE – Gestational diabetes can cause serious health risks for pregnant women and babies.
Delivering a lecture on “Problems caused by gestational diabetes in women and preventive measures”, Principal Ameer Uddin Medical College Prof Muhammad Al-Fareed Zafar said that the condition increased the chance of miscarriage besides other complications like high blood pressure, protein secretion in urine and swelling of the body.
Prof Zafar suggested regular check-ups of pregnant women by gynaecologists for early diagnosis and management of gestational diabetes.
“Due to gestational diabetes, a child’s growth stops. It will result in more or less weight of the newborn. In this scenario, the doctors are compelled to undergo C-section on an emergency basis”, he said, adding that many women temporarily suffer from Type 2 diabetes during pregnancy which naturally ends after the birth of the child.
“Due to gestational diabetes, a pregnant woman may also suffer from high blood pressure which may affect the organs of the child. Those already suffering from Type 2 diabetes must consult their doctor while planning for the child”, he said, adding that lack of knowledge about health issues caused gestational diabetes to go unnoticed.
Health professionals should come forward in this regard and play their effective role to create more awareness among people for creating a healthy society, he said.
