Department of Food Service Management and Dietetics, Avinashilingam Institute for
Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore - 641 043
,IN
S. Uma Mageshwari
Department of Food Service Management and Dietetics, Avinashilingam Institute for
Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore - 641 043
,IN
Abstract
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) defined as carbohydrate intolerance with first time recognition or onset during pregnancy has become the most common endocrinological disorder complicating pregnancy. Screening, diagnosis, management and care in both antenatal and postnatal period of women poses a challenge and necessitates universal screening for glucose intolerance in pregnancy. An exponential increase in the rate of gestational diabetes mellitus is seen which has escalated from 4 to 6 per cent in the early 90's to 16 to 20 per cent of all pregnancies. Indian women have the highest frequency of GDM among the ethnic groups in South Asian countries and also have eleven fold increased risk of developing glucose intolerance during pregnancy compared to Caucasian women.