ADD and Gestational Diabetes - Is There a Link

Some women during their 24-28th week of pregnancy develop a resistance to insulin. This is known as gestational diabetes and is a condition that mimics type 2 diabetes. This can harm both the mother and the unborn baby, so it is very important that during the months of pregnancy each woman gets tested regularly for abnormal blood sugar levels.

Gestational diabetes results in the body not being able to use sugar that is the by-product of metabolism.  Usually when you eat your body breaks down the food into products the cells can use, such as simple sugar.  But without the help of insulin the sugar can’t get into the cells.

When the insulin and cells are working well together the insulin helps the sugar into the cells which is then used for energy.  But if the sugar can’t get into the cells that sugar is left floating around in the blood stream.

This can be harmful to the mother and the unborn baby. In the mother the excess sugar, when gestational diabetes is left untreated, can lead to complications at birth.

What does this do to the baby? One result can be babies who are larger than normal for their gestational age. This can lead to complications at birth and for the child after birth.

After birth these babies are at greater risk for breathing problems and low blood sugar. But sadly there are also long term effects as well, such as the possibility of neurological abnormalities.

Researchers have found links between these babies and neurological abnormalities. Thankfully many of these links appear to become less statistically significant as the children get older and become teenagers.

There have been several studies done on this condition. In one study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood researchers found that children born to diabetic mothers were heavier, had lower IQ scores below the age of 9 and more scored abnormally in the Conners questionnaire (a test used to evaluate the presence of ADD).

In a study published in 2005 in Pediatric Endocrinology Review researchers found that children born to mothers who had poor glycemic control with gestational diabetes had delayed brain maturity, did not perform as well in fine and gross motor functions and had a higher rate of inattention or hyperactivity.

In yet a third study published out of Sweden researchers found that children of women with gestational diabetes had an increased risk of hospitalization for neurological or developmental disorders.

Basically, ADD and gestational diabetes are inexplicably linked.  The best thing to do is to get regularly tested during your pregnancy so your doctor can work with you to correct gestational diabetes if it should occur.