DOHA: Women with diabetes need to plan their pregnancy and ensure that blood glucose levels are within targets prior to conception, said Dr Mohammed Bashir, an Endocrine Consultant at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). For assistance women can visit National Diabetes Centre services in Hamad General Hospital or Al Wakra Hospital.
“It is extremely important for women with diabetes to achieve normal blood glucose levels before they become pregnant. If women have poorly controlled diabetes going into a pregnancy, they are at much higher risk of having serious fetal complications in particular, congenital deficits, early loss of pregnancy, high blood pressure, large birth weight babies resulting in more Cesarean deliveries. This also increases complications during delivery including, premature births and fetal death,” Dr Mohammed Bashir said.
Giving an example of how proper planning can lead to a successful pregnancy, he gave the example of Ramya Munuswamy, 35, a type 2 diabetic who gave birth to a healthy baby boy at Women’s Hospital despite being told in her home country that she should terminate her pregnancy because of the increased risks associated with uncontrolled diabetes.
Not ready to give up on her pregnancy, Ramya went to a private clinic for a second option upon returning to Qatar.
She was referred to Dr Bashir and a team comprised of highly skilled doctors, nurses, nutritionists and dieticians worked closely with her to create a tailored programme that would help regulate her diabetes and decrease any complications during her pregnancy and delivery.
Post-pregnancy women like Ramya, once referred to the Women’s Hospital diabetes center, they will be able to work with Dr Bashir and his team to get counselling about the illness and understand the risks involved with not regulating their diabetes as soon as possible, the Women’s Hospital said in a press release. They will also learn how to administer insulin injections, treat low and high blood sugar, how to use a glucometer, chart their blood sugar levels, follow home glucose monitoring and adapt their eating habits.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for about 90 percent of diabetes cases in Qatar. Despite what is believed by the public, type 2 diabetes does not cause any symptoms of thirst or excessive urination in a vast majority of patients.
This disease is mostly discovered during a routine blood screening and is often associated with older age, obesity, family history, previous history of gestational diabetes, physical inactivity, and it can be more prevalent in certain ethnic groups.
Patients with any of these risk factors should be screened for diabetes regularly at a Health Center, the press release said.
The Peninsula
