Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Postpartum Follow-Up Testing:Challenges and Solutions

One in every 4 pregnancies is affected by hyperglycemia, of which 90% is gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Women with GDM are at a high risk of developing both short- and long-term complications. Various studies have shown the heightened risk of type 2 diabetes among women with GDM. Despite clear evidence from published literature about the substantial risk that GDM imposes on women after delivery, rates of postpartum follow up have been low in most parts of the world.

Several reasons, such as lack of awareness among health-care professionals and patient-related barriers, such as emotional stress and adjusting to motherhood, have been cited as reasons for poor follow-up rates. To address these issues and come up with solutions to improve postpartum follow-up rates, it is important to understand these barriers both from the patient and the health-care system points of view.

This review article (click on the PDF below to download the entire article) summarizes some of the key issues contributing to the low postpartum follow-up rates and have discussed possible strategies to tackle them. A brief note on the Women in India with GDM Strategy project, which developed a model of care for GDM in resource constrained settings and adopted several strategies that led to a 95.8% postpartum follow up, has also been presented.

19. GDM Postpartum Challenges Review_CJD.pdf

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