November 22, 2020
Expectant mothers missing out on diabetes screening
A University of Waikato study has found only 26 per cent of women in the Waikato region are screened for diabetes during pregnancy, including just 17.5 per cent of Māori women.
During pregnancy, a woman needs two to three times as much of the insulin hormone which controls blood sugar.
If her body cannot produce this, she will experience diabetes which can be damaging and even fatal for mother and baby.
In New Zealand, diabetes affects 8 to 10 per cent of pregnancies and the rates are increasing.
Study head Dr Lynne Chepulis says although more than 80 per cent of the women in the study who gave birth in the Waikato from June to August 2017 received some kind of diabetes test, few were checked in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines which aim to pick up diabetes at different points in the pregnancy.
The Waikato Medical Research Foundation has given funding to extend the study to cover all women who gave birth in the Waikato in 2018, excluding home births.
It will include interviews with mothers and midwives to identify barriers to diabetes screening.
Dr Chepulis expects the larger study will show a review of the national guidelines is needed, including looking at ways to improve access for Māori.
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