Managing gestational diabetes is easier with CGM technology

If you've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you may be feeling surprised, angry, or disappointed. You may have been looking forward to eating for two, and now you find yourself consciously eating every bite of food that passes your lips. This may not be the easy pregnancy you were hoping for, and if you're feeling frustrated, you're not alone.

Not only do women with gestational diabetes need to watch what they eat, but they also have to monitor their blood glucose levels multiple times a day. Unfortunately, when you have gestational diabetes, there's no magic solution that alleviates your need to watch your carbohydrate intake. However, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can decrease the number of times you need to prick your fingers.

What is a CGM?

A CGM is a wearable device that checks a person's blood sugar around the clock. It consists of a sensor (a very thin wire inserted under the skin), a receiver that displays your blood sugar levels, and a transmitter that allows the sensor and the receiver to communicate with each other. CGMs dramatically decrease the need for fingersticks and can be worn for as long as 14 days.

Why is a CGM helpful for gestational diabetes?

Obstetricians like to keep a careful eye on a pregnant woman's blood sugars in order to avoid complications such as preeclampsia (also known as toxemia) in the pregnant mother as well as increased risk of birth defects in the baby. Keeping a careful eye on a woman's blood sugars traditionally means lots of fingersticks as the more time a pregnant woman with gestational diabetes spends with her blood sugar in range, the less likely she is to deliver a baby weighing more than nine pounds (which may necessitate a C-section). It also decreases the likelihood that her baby will have low blood sugar after they are born which can impact their neurological development (refer to article Shideh is working on with agency).

CGMs help measure "Time in Range": The amount of time a person's blood sugar stays in the desired range, for example, between 70-140 milligrams per deciliter. In order to properly check your blood glucose you must check your levels when it is most likely at it's peak: between one and two hours after a meal. If you are pricking your finger at this specific interval it may not always be a convenient time. With a CGM, your blood sugar can be checked with little to no effort on your part. The device will track and graph your numbers so that you can look back and see when you have highs and lows. You and your healthcare team can review the data and take action to correct those highs and lows, whether that's by changing your food, your exercise, or your medication.

Questions about CGM and pregnancy

How is the data transmitted?

Some people are hesitant to use a CGM during pregnancy because they believe it may emit radiation. This is not accurate. CGMs transmit data using radio waves and/or Bluetooth technology. Neither the pregnant woman nor the baby is exposed to radiation from a CGM device.

Will the sensor touch the baby?

The sensor only penetrates the skin about a quarter of an inch, so there's no chance that it will touch your baby.

How accurate is a CGM?

One study showed that CGMs were most accurate in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes (should this state with type 1 or gestational diabetes because the two are different) when their blood sugars were in the 68-180 milligrams per deciliter. If a pregnant woman has wide swings in her blood sugar, or if the reading on a CGM does not match the way a person feels, fingerstick testing should be performed as a backup.

A CGM can make life with gestational diabetes easier and more comfortable. If this sounds like something you're interested in, ask your obstetrician whether a CGM might be right for you.

Want to know more about preparing for your new baby? Read 5 things expecting mothers need to know about breast pumps.