Gestational Diabetes Act of 2006 Introduced to U.S. Senate

On Sept 27, 2006, a new bill was introduced in the 109th Congress, by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senator Susan Collins. The Gestational Diabetes Act of 2006 (GEDI) would provide grant money to be used for research, education and treatment of gestational diabetes, in an attempt to lower the incidence of this disease and thereby help prevent the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later on.

• Risk Factors For Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a unique condition because it usually disappears after the birth of the baby. If a woman develops gestational diabetes, it occurs during the last half of pregnancy. Blood glucose levels rise, requiring diet changes and sometimes insulin, to manage it. Having gestational diabetes dramatically increases the risk of a woman and her child developing Type 2 diabetes.

In conjunction with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes for Health (NIH), grants would also be awarded for the expansion of community-based health programs to reduce the incidence of gestational diabetes, and consequently Type 2 diabetes, in high risk patients. Also, according to the GEDI bill, programs would be funded for educating healthcare providers in the field, to offer quality care and self-management teaching to at-risk pregnant women.

• Screening Methods For Gestational Diabetes

Overall, the GEDI Act of 2006 could do much to improve the odds for women and their children, when it comes to the risks of developing gestational diabetes and the later onset of Type 2 diabetes.

SOURCE: The Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave, SE Washington, DC 20540, The Library of Congress' public access website.