Story Details

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM), is diagnosed during pregnancy when a woman’s body cannot produce enough insulin and this results in high blood glucose levels. Women who have had GDM have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Current guidelines recommend that women diagnosed with GDM should be tested for diabetes at least every 2 to 3 years. This study investigated the rates of diabetes screening among women diagnosed with GDM in Far North Queensland in the years following the birth of their baby. The researchers found that women who were diagnosed with GDM during pregnancy had low rates of screening for diabetes in the years following giving birth.  The Data Linkage Queensland (DLQ) linked Queensland hospital, midwives and laboratory data collection for the research team to analyse.