Maternal Diabetes and the Fetal Heart in Type 2 Diabetes

It’s crucial for the health of both mothers and their unborn children to prevent or control gestational diabetes, the type of diabetes that is discovered during pregnancy. In order to learn what effects gestational diabetes might have on fetuses’ developing hearts, researchers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa, studied the condition of the organ.

Their study, reported on in the journal Prenatal Diagnostics in This includes August 2014…

• 29 pregnant women diagnosed with Gestational diabetes, and
• 29 women with healthy pregnancies.

Doppler echocardiography produced images of the fetal hearts and their actual heartbeats. The average amount of blood required to supply oxygen to the heart muscles of fetuses whose mothers had gestational diabetes was found to be higher than that required by fetuses whose mothers were healthy. More oxygen being required is a subliminal sign that the heart is having trouble beating. It was challenging for the left ventricles of the hearts, which transport blood from the lungs to the rest of the body, to fill with blood because they appeared stiff. One newborn with heart issues passed away at birth, and another passed away within the first month of life.

Lose any extra weight prior to conception to prevent developing gestational diabetes or pregnancy-related diabetes. A body mass index of less than 25 indicates that the expectant mother is not obese. A maintenance diet with 500 fewer calories per day will result in a loss of one pound per week because human fat contains 3500 calories per pound. Including vegetables and fruits in your diet planning will help you lose weight because these foods are high in fiber and low in sugar.

Daily exercises like walking, swimming, dancing, or riding a bike are also beneficial. In that it is brought on by insulin resistance, gestational diabetes is similar to Type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance can be reduced by engaging in aerobic exercise, which increases heart rate and breathing rate.

If there is a chance the fetal heart may be abnormal, a type of ultrasound called a Doppler echocardiogram is carried out. A transducer touches gel that has been applied over the mother’s abdomen. It emits sound waves that reflect off the fetus’s developing heart, revealing its internal organs and the way blood circulates through it. It can be ordered…

• if the mother has diabetes,
• if a routine ultrasound showed possible abnormalities, or
• if there is any other reason to suspect a problem.

Consultation with a fetal cardiology expert is possible if a heart condition is discovered, and the available treatments can then be discussed.