Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that gestational diabetes affects only a very small percentage of all pregnant mothers. The writer further notes that pregnancy-induced hypertension is found in about the same proportion of pregnant mothers as is gestational diabetes. The writer points out that weight gain during pregnancy predicts very high risk for gestational diabetes, along with other problems such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, Cesarean section and stillbirth. The writer provides a literature review and discusses whether there is a link between gestational diabetes and pregnancy-induced hypertension so that they can be treated together. The writer maintains that the treatment of women with gestational diabetes, along with health teaching, which involves dietary advice, blood glucose monitoring, and insulin therapy, results in a reduction of serious perinatal outcomes such as death or bone fracture. Other benefits include improved health-related quality of life among women with gestational diabetes, both during the antenatal period and three months after birth, as well as a possible reduction in the incidence of postnatal depression.

Outline:
Introduction
Background
Literature Review
Analysis

From the Paper:

"Haakova and Cibula found in their retrospective study with data obtained from medical records that women who have polycystic ovary syndrome, which is a common endocrine disorder, that there are no important differences in the prevalence of gestational diabetes or of pregnancy-induced hypertension. Even though the two groups in the study were matched for age, weight, family history, and patient history, both gestational diabetes and hypertension were similar for those groups. However, as these researchers note, a high incidence of pregnancy induced hypertension has been found in several other studies of women with polycystic ovary syndrome, so that there may be a link between hyperinsulinaemia and hypertension during pregnancy.
"Lifestyle interventions also constitute the primary treatment for gestational diabetes."

Sample of Sources Used:

• American Diabetes Association (2007). Gestational diabetes. Accessed March 18, 2007. http://www.diabetes.org/gestational-diabetes.jsp
• Canadian Diabetes Association (2003). Macrovascular complications, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 27 (2), S58-S63.
• Canadian Diabetes Association (2003). Gestational diabetes mellitus. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 27 (2), S99-S102.
• Crowther, C. & Hiller, J. (2005). Effect of treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus on pregnancy outcomes. The New England Journal of Medicine, 352 (24), 2477-2487.
• Haakova, L. & Cibula, D. (2003). Pregnancy outcome in women with PCOS and in controls matched by age and weight. Human Reproduction, 18 (7), 1438-1441.

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