Type 1 diabetes in pregnant women can be risky. For them, as for their babies. During these nine months of pregnancy and upheaval, continuous blood sugar control can therefore be beneficial.
Controlling blood sugar is a daily issue in the life of a person with diabetes. And it becomes even more so during pregnancy. The body changes, so do the hormones. A woman with type 1 diabetes must closely monitor her blood sugar levels if she is to have a healthy pregnancy. And to avoid complications for their babies.
Pregnancy under control
Among the possible complications, a miscarriage or congenital malformations (heart or kidney for example) in the child. It is for this reason that health professionals advise women to plan their pregnancy. Their health must be stable at least three months before conception, with glycated hemoglobin, or HbA1c (which indicates glycemic control over a longer period) of less than 7%.
According to a study published in the British scientific and medical journal The Lancet, the continuous control of the glycemia would make it possible precisely to avoid these complications.
325 women, continuously monitored or not
For this, 325 women between 18 and 40 years of age, type 1 diabetics and on insulin therapy participated in the trial. They were either pregnant or planning to become pregnant. The trial took place in 31 hospitals in several countries: Canada, England, Scotland, Spain, Italy, Ireland and the United States.
The participants were drawn to be divided into two strictly comparable groups. In the first group, the women benefited from continuous blood sugar control (CGC) associated with capillary control (measurement of the blood sugar level per injection). In the other, they only had capillary control. The trial lasted three years, between 2013 and 2016.
Fewer complications for the baby
The results are mostly beneficial for the continuous control of blood sugar. Women who had this type of control had blood sugar within the target range more often during pregnancy. Quite simply because regular monitoring helps prevent hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. In babies too, the results are positive. Fewer infants were admitted to intensive care at birth. The length of hospital stay is also shorter.
However, in women who are planning their pregnancy, continuous blood sugar control does not seem to provide more benefit.
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