An assessment of prenatal care received by mothers with diabetes mellitus, Aida El-Asfahani
Aida Mohamed El-Asfahani, United Arab Emirates University, UAE
Abstract: The most commonly used standard for measuring prenatal care (PNC) adequacy is the “Kessner Index” which prescribes PNC for normal pregnancies in terms of the month of pregnancy care started, number of visits, and length of gestation. This index was adopted in this study to assess the effect intensity of PNC on the course of pregnancy and labor, as well as the ultimate delivery effect on mothers with pregestational diabetes mellitus (DM) whether type 1 or type 2 and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)). The study covered females who gave a singleton live birth at four major hospitals in Southeast Idaho (1996-1999). Maternal (n=110) retrospective information were analyzed. GDM is substantially more prevalent than prepregnancy DM. Subjects were classified according to “Kessner Index”; the majority of pregnant females received adequate care. The Mann-Whitney test revealed statistically significant differences in the Apgar scores due to PNC. Similar results were found in the number of newborn complications. The relationship between PNC and a reduction in maternal labor complications was inconclusive. Since a substantial proportion of pregnant women may not be aware of their diabetes or at risk for diabetes, early screening for all pregnant women, particularly women at their reproductive age is warranted.
Keywords: Prenatal care, Diabetes, Birth outcome