Improving outcomes for patients with gestational diabetes: Eugenia’s story

Gestational diabetes can appear during the second or third trimester of pregnancy if the body is unable to produce enough insulin to handle the effects of a growing baby and changing hormone levels. If left untreated, high blood sugar levels can lead to certain health complications for both mother and baby, including preeclampsia.

Research has shown that forty per cent of women who develop gestational diabetes will subsequently develop type 2 diabetes. For this reason, a diagnosis of gestational diabetes offers a critical window of opportunity for early intervention, to mitigate the risk of progression to type 2 diabetes post-pregnancy.

While pregnant with her first child, Eugenia Lopes was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Promisingly, after giving birth to a healthy baby girl, the diabetes cleared; however, three years later she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. When she received the surprising news of her second pregnancy, she was referred to the Leadership Sinai Centre for Diabetes.

Read her full story here and learn how research at Mount Sinai is uncovering possible clinical interventions for the treatment and prevention of gestational diabetes.