Woe In The Womb

Gestational diabetes is becoming a common condition during pregnancy that can also affect the baby’s health,finds Shalini Bhardwaj

- Shalini Bharadwaj

Shamla, 35, was admitted to hospital before her due date because her baby was too large. Doctors had to perform a caesarean section as the baby weighed 4.3 kg, way above the average weight of a foetus. Normal delivery lay outside the bounds of possibility.

This condition is called gestational diabetes and is dangerous for the foetus. Shamla was also obese.

According to gynaecologists, the incidence of pregnancy-induced diabetes or gestational diabetes is increasing day by day among young urban women. In most cases, it is caused by sedentary lifestyle, improper diet, high stress levels and lack of exercise before and during pregnancy.

It’s not entirely the women’s fault. There are societal reasons for increasing pregnancy issues in women. Among them are the trend of late marriages and postponing of babies due to career goals.

“Females are getting pregnant in their mid-thirties after getting settled in their careers, not just after completing their studies, as used to be the case earlier. Lots of complications are seen in such cases,” says Dr Sheetal Aggarwal, senior gynaecologist at Apollo Spectra.