Craig, Louise Eisten

Glasziou, Paul P

Sims, Rebecca

Thomas, Rae Louise

English

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) - a transitory form of diabetes induced by pregnancy - haspotentially important short and long-term health consequences for both the mother and her baby. There is noglobally agreed definition of GDM, but definition changes have increased the incidence in some countries in recentyears, with some research suggesting minimal clinical improvement in outcomes. The aim of this qualitative systematicreview was to identify the psychosocial experiences a diagnosis of GDM has on women during pregnancy and thepostpartum period.Methods: We searched CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases for studies that provided qualitative dataon the psychosocial experiences of a diagnosis of GDM on women across any stage of pregnancy and/or thepostpartum period. We appraised the methodological quality of the included studies using the Critical Appraisal SkillsProgramme Checklist for Qualitative Studies and used thematic analysis to synthesis the data.Results: Of 840 studies identified, 41 studies of diverse populations met the selection criteria. The synthesis revealedeight key themes: initial psychological impact; communicating the diagnosis; knowledge of GDM; risk perception;management of GDM; burden of GDM; social support; and gaining control. The identified benefits of a GDM diagnosiswere largely behavioural and included an opportunity to make healthy eating changes. The identified harms wereemotional, financial and cultural. Women commented about the added responsibility (eating regimens, appointments),financial constraints (expensive food, medical bills) and conflicts with their cultural practices (alternative eating, lack ofinformation about traditional food). Some women reported living in fear of risking the health of their baby andconducted extreme behaviours such as purging and starving themselves.Conclusion: A diagnosis of GDM has wide reaching consequences that are common to a diverse group of women.Threshold cut-offs for blood glucose levels have been determined using the risk of physiological harms to mother andbaby. It may also be advantageous to consider the harms and benefits from a psychosocial and a physiologicalperspective. This may avoid unnecessary burden to an already vulnerable population

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Women's experiences of a diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review

https://pure.bond.edu.au/ws/files/35157831/Craig_et_al_2020_Women_s_experiences_of_a_diagnosis_of_GDM_a_SR.pdf

Women's experiences of a diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review

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