Diabetes: Mothers advised to guard against risks

A diabetes expert said mothers were more prone to gestational diabetes, (temporary diabetes associated with pregnancy) in the second pregnancy. The seminar, “Mother’s health matters,” with a special focus on diabetes was held at Shifa International Hospital (SIH) to mark Mothers’ Day.


Addressing the seminar, consultant endocrinologist at SIH, Dr Usama Ishtiaq said diabetes was a chronic disease and more than seven million people in Pakistan were suffering from it. The need to urinate several times, feeling severe thirst, weight loss, fatigue and weakness are common symptoms of diabetes.

Dr Ishtiaq said around 18 per cent of expectant mothers develop gestational diabetes, making it one of the most common health problems of pregnancy. He said that it was a temporary disorder that usually disappeared after childbirth. “Mothers who do not suffer with gestational diabetes in the first pregnancy are more likely to get this in their second pregnancy.”

He recommended would-be mothers take a balanced diet because eating oily, deep-fried food may result in excessive sugar that accumulates in the foetus as extra fat and may risk its health. He warned that mothers who suffered from gestational diabetes during pregnancy were at risk of becoming diabetic afterwards.

Diabetic women who want to become mothers must control it before pregnancy, stated Dr Ishtiaq. “Those with controlled diabetes need to know what side effects their medications cause during pregnancy.” It’s imperative to control diabetes during pregnancy, otherwise it may cause miscarriage, genetic disorders in the child, pregnancy and delivery complications and the infant’s death, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2014.