Gestational diabetes is a common problem that affects women in pregnancy. Diabetes is a condition that is usually life-long and in which a person’s blood sugar levels are too high. The condition is caused because the body cannot produce enough insulin to function properly and requires medication to regulate insulin levels.
There are two main types – type 1 and type 2, and gestational diabetes is similar to type 2. During pregnancy, some women – particularly those who are overweight or who have a history of abortions – will have higher than normal levels of glucose in the blood and their body cannot produce enough insulin to convert that into cells.
Insulin injections administered four times daily are needed to maintain the correct levels of glucose while the woman’s bloody sugar levels have to be monitored six to eight times every day. All of this is an added inconvenience at a time when a woman is already dealing with her pregnancy.
One solution is to use an insulin pump instead of injections. But the pumps can be expensive to buy and as a woman with gestational diabetes is unlikely to continue to have the condition once she gives birth, for many it’s an unnecessary expense. In India, they have come up with a solution by allowing pregnant women to rent an insulin pump for the duration of their pregnancy.
A pilot project involving a dozen mums-to-be provided them with the insulin pump and none reported any complications during the six months they used the equipment.
Unlike an injection, an insulin pump is non-invasive – it is connected to the body, usually the abdomen, by a canula and delivers insulin to the body regularly.
The innovative rental scheme has proved to be a successful addition to the treatment of gestational diabetes by allowing pregnant women to take control of their own insulin levels without the inconvenience of injections and all at an affordable price.
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