More support needed for diabetic women

The National Pregnancy in Diabetes (NPID) audit, which was published earlier this month, has found that three quarters of pregnant women with diabetes have higher than recommended blood sugar levels in early pregnancy.  High blood sugars are associated with increased risk of stillbirth and neonatal death as well as babies being born with congenital abnormalities. The audit (which was based on 2537 women who had diabetes and were pregnant in England and Wales in 2014) also found that many women were not taking the recommended folic acid supplements at the time of conception and that some were also on medications that are considered potentially harmful.

Audit Lead Clinician and advisory group chair, Dr Nick Lewis-Barned said: “There are three key elements of pregnancy preparation for women with diabetes to reduce the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes – good control of blood glucose levels, taking folic acid supplements and a medication review. It’s clear from the audit that many women need more information and more support in all of these areas.”

Chris Askew, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said “The NHS needs to act urgently to make sure all women with diabetes, who might become pregnant, are aware of the risks of having high blood glucose levels in early pregnancy and are supported by specialist healthcare professionals to achieve good blood glucose control.”

For more information on the audit see here

An RCM article on the topic may be viewed here