WASHINGTON (AP) — Developing diabetes during pregnancy isn’t good for mother or baby, and it’s a growing problem. Now there’s a push to change how women are tested for the disorder. But a government panel warns that would label a lot more women as diabetic that may not need to be.
Gestational diabetes can lead to large babies, C-sections and other problems. Doctors diagnose it in about 5 percent to 6 percent of pregnancies in the U.S.
The National Institutes of Health asked experts if it’s time to switch from the current two-step diabetes test to a simpler one that would spot many mild cases. It would nearly triple the number of diagnoses.
The government panel said no because there’s no proof that treating all those women would help them or their babies.
