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Gestational diabetes

Question
Hello, I am 29 years old and I am a young CF mother of a little girl aged 1 month. I was discovered gestational diabetes at 28 weeks, and now one month after delivery my blood sugars are still very disturbed. Gestational diabetes usually goes away quickly in mothers after delivery. Is it normal in my case that my blood sugars are still very disturbed? One month after delivery is it too early to get everything set? Or does it mean I'm definitely diabetic, whereas nothing had been detected so far? Thank you very much for your attention to my e-mail.
Answer
Hello,
Gestational diabetes means diabetes has been diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy. Its overall frequency is estimated in 4 - 6% of pregnancies in France. This diabetes of pregnancy reflects a disorder of glucose tolerance. Nine times out of ten, it disappears after birth but it may announce later diabetes.
The risk of gestational diabetes is much more common in women with CF. Indeed, patients with CF who have exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (treated with pancreatic enzymes) have an increased risk of diabetes as they get older because pancreas becomes less functional, including cells that secrete insulin. This process is usually very gradual, but may be faster in special situations such as pregnancy.
After delivery, blood glucose (especially after meals) may be normalized, but it is not always the case when pregnancy allowed diabetes to be revealed.
At one month after delivery, monitoring of your blood glucose, before and 2 hours after meals, should allow your CF physician to tell you whether your diabetes persists. In consultation with a diabetologist, he should also be able to advise you an optimal treatment for this diabetes.
Sincerely yours.
Dr Dominique Hubert
15.11.2010