High Blood Sugar Levels May Harm Fetus

A high level of blood sugar in pregnant women increases the health risks to their newborns, according to a new study.

The study found that it does not matter if the mother-to-be has diabetes.

The study, released at the American Diabetes Association's annual scientific meeting in Chicago reports that a mother with a high blood sugar levels is more likely to have give birth to a child who will be obese, have diabetes or suffer from high blood pressure later in life.

Researchers also found that women with high blood sugar levels often give birth to larger babies, which can often lead to complications during Caesarean sections.

"We found that the risk of having a large baby, a first-time Cesarean delivery, low blood glucose levels in the newborn requiring treatment, and high blood insulin levels in the baby that may signal problems ahead, all increased as the mother's blood glucose level during pregnancy increased," said Boyd E. Metzger, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, and Principal Investigator of the study, in a recent interview. "These relationships were continuous over the entire range of blood glucose levels found in over 23,000 pregnancies, even in ranges previously considered to be within the normal range for pregnant women."

The study included more than 23,000 women in nine different countries.

Source: Google