Pregnancy is mean
because when it comes to conditions related to pregnancy,
you can’t compare that condition to non pregnant states.
And what I mean by that
is that gestational diabetes is a very specific condition,
obviously only related to pregnancy.
And so we can’t compare it to type 1 or type 2 diabetes
because it presents differently.
Because the presentation of gestational diabetes is
there are no symptoms. So unlike type 1 or type 2 diabetes
outside of pregnancy, where a patient likely has symptoms of diabetes
before they’re diagnosed, we don’t have this in gestational diabetes.
And so when looking at the data,
the American medical societies have decided,
because risk factors don’t catch everyone
and there are no signs and symptoms of gestational diabetes,
they recommend that everyone universally be screened.
I’ve had Marathon runners,
I’ve had vegans, I’ve had Pilates teachers,
I’ve had all sorts of patients who had no risk factors
be diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
Because it’s not always up to just their risk factors.
While that can contribute to some patients diagnosis,
it’s really the placenta.
And there’s nothing you can do about what your placenta is doing.
So that’s why we recommend universal screening for everyone
in every pregnancy.