If you develop diabetes during pregnancy, you may be among a majority of women who don’t get recommended testing for the disease in the weeks after delivery.
A new study published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology found as many as three-quarters of women with gestational diabetes don’t have their blood sugar levels checked within the first year after their baby is born.
That’s unfortunate because prompt postpartum blood testing in women who’ve had gestational diabetes can detect abnormal blood sugar levels that put them at risk of full-blown diabetes. By catching the problem early, women have a better chance of averting the disease through lifestyle changes.
Researchers looked at 12 years of commercial insurance claims in 50 states and identified just over 32,000 women who had gestational diabetes. Only 25 percent of the women got a blood sugar test within one year of giving birth, the study found.
Asian women and women living in western states were most likely to get blood sugar screenings after a gestational diabetes pregnancy, according to the study.
Most women with gestational diabetes don’t stay diabetic after giving birth. However, up to 50 percent will develop diabetes at some point in the future. Experts recommend testing blood sugar within 6 to 12 weeks after delivery. Even if you have a normal postpartum blood test, you should get tested again every three years.
You can also help ward off diabetes by keeping your weight down, eating healthy food and exercising.
Have you had gestational diabetes? Did you get a blood test after giving birth? Why, or why not?
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