gms | German Medical Science

2nd International Conference of the German Society of Midwifery Science (DGHWi)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hebammenwissenschaft e. V.

21.02.2014, Kassel

Implications of diagnosis and therapy of gestational diabetes for women’s experience of pregnancy and postpartum

Meeting Abstract

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  • author Judith Scholler-Sachs - Universität Witten/Herdecke, Germany
  • Wilfried Schnepp - Universität Witten/Herdecke, Germany

German Association of Midwifery Science. 2nd International Meeting of the German Association of Midwifery Science. Kassel, 21.-21.02.2014. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2014. Doc14dghwiV5

doi: 10.3205/14dghwi05, urn:nbn:de:0183-14dghwi052

This is the English version of the article.
The German version can be found at: http://www.egms.de/de/meetings/dghwi2014/14dghwi05.shtml

Published: February 18, 2014

© 2014 Scholler-Sachs et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.


Outline

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Background: Gestational diabetes is one of the most common complications during pregnancy affecting 3.7% of all pregnancies in 2010. As a result of the diagnosis, a pregnancy is from that point perceived to be potentially at risk with medical and psychological consequences. The effect of the diagnosis and the subsequent intensive therapy on the woman’s experience of pregnancy and the postnatal period has not in detail been researched before in Germany. This study therefore aims at examining a woman’s experience of her pregnancy with gestational diabetes in order to identify the needs of this special risk group and to provide effective support.

Method: In a qualitative study, 30 women with gestational diabetes (14 of whom had a migration background) from 4 different medical centers in NRW were interviewed based on a detailed interview guideline. All interviews were recorded and fully transcribed. They were analyzed based on the structured content analysis of Mayring. To support the process MAXQDA was used.

Results: After the diagnosis of gestational diabetes, the first 2 to 3 weeks were perceived as a stressful time. As a result of social support provided by family and friends and of increased practice in implementing the therapeutic measures, the initial worries and uncertainties were resolved. This could be observed with almost no difference for women who needed to change their nutrition, or for women who additionally needed to undergo insulin therapy. However, a difference was noted for women with a migration background: the less integrated the women felt, the more they perceived the pregnancy as a burden. After giving birth they often tried to make up for nutritional abstinences during pregnancy. Only a small proportion of the women maintained a healthy lifestyle even after birth.

Discussion: Due to the nature of a qualitative study, results cannot be generalized to a broader population. Nevertheless, the results of this study show that gestational diabetes is negatively perceived during pregnancy. This was especially observed in women with a migration background. After giving birth, the risk of developing diabetes mellitus type 2 is often put to the back of the women’s mind. However, since 50% of the women are likely to be affected within the next 10 years, preventative measures need to be offered to maintain a healthy lifestyle beyond birth.

Recommendations: To avoid negative psychological effects on the perception of the pregnancy with gestational diabetes, the therapy should focus more on the healthcare resources of the women and on strengthening their self-competence. Individualized concepts for supporting women, especially with a migration background, need to be developed and implemented.