Babysaurus
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Interesting Research on why inductions often result in c-secs for diabetics!
As I am coming up to 33 weeks the fact that I am actually going to have to give birth one way or another is becoming increasingly real!
As some of you may have worked out, I have been questioning the stats I was given by the consultant obs a month ago about diabetic inductions having a "60 to 70% chance" of not progressing properly and so going to c-section anyway. This has turned what I intially hoped for on it's head as previously I wanted to avoid a section as much as one can with these things, but as it now looks more likely than not it has put things in a whole different light - the worst case scenario would now be a c-sec after several days of failed induction or similar.
So, I wanted to find out precisely why so many diabetics end up with a section in the end regardless of the various attempts, and have come across some interesting research from the British Medical Journal which states that diabetic mothers generally have much weaker contractions due to being diabetic. This is even with strong doses of oxytocin or other hormones given over a long (or short!) period of time. The uterus will contract a lot weaker than it would with other women and also for shorter amounts of time, hence 'failiure to progress.'
I had another scan and apt with the obs today and asked about the links between c-secs etc and was told that the reason the inductions often don't work was due to the baby being early and / or the baby becoming distressed or the mother getting too tired. Neither obs I spoke to was aware of this research until I showed it to them (its a recent study, 2010.)
Obviously, not every single diabetic is likely to have problems but it is a significant factor in why an induction is unlikely to work, even if we go further than 40 weeks.
I cannot post a link to it, but if you private message me with your email address I can send you the info.
As I am coming up to 33 weeks the fact that I am actually going to have to give birth one way or another is becoming increasingly real!
As some of you may have worked out, I have been questioning the stats I was given by the consultant obs a month ago about diabetic inductions having a "60 to 70% chance" of not progressing properly and so going to c-section anyway. This has turned what I intially hoped for on it's head as previously I wanted to avoid a section as much as one can with these things, but as it now looks more likely than not it has put things in a whole different light - the worst case scenario would now be a c-sec after several days of failed induction or similar.
So, I wanted to find out precisely why so many diabetics end up with a section in the end regardless of the various attempts, and have come across some interesting research from the British Medical Journal which states that diabetic mothers generally have much weaker contractions due to being diabetic. This is even with strong doses of oxytocin or other hormones given over a long (or short!) period of time. The uterus will contract a lot weaker than it would with other women and also for shorter amounts of time, hence 'failiure to progress.'
I had another scan and apt with the obs today and asked about the links between c-secs etc and was told that the reason the inductions often don't work was due to the baby being early and / or the baby becoming distressed or the mother getting too tired. Neither obs I spoke to was aware of this research until I showed it to them (its a recent study, 2010.)
Obviously, not every single diabetic is likely to have problems but it is a significant factor in why an induction is unlikely to work, even if we go further than 40 weeks.
I cannot post a link to it, but if you private message me with your email address I can send you the info.
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