Quality of life and gestational diabetes mellitus: A review study

Abstract

Objectives: High-risk pregnancies can affect the quality of life (QOL) of pregnant women due to their complications. QOL involves different dimensions including physical, psychological, and social health of the individuals. Assessing the QOL, especially in mothers with gestational diabetes is important in planning for maternal and newborn care and understanding the need for care for policymakers and the health care association. Therefore, the present study aimed to review the effects of gestational diabetes on QOL during pregnancy. Materials and Methods: In this study, articles indexed in several databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, SID, and Magiran were obtained among which, those related to the QOL of mothers with gestational diabetes were extracted and evaluated based on the aim of the study. Results: The series of the reviewed studies included 10 articles on the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of the QOL of mothers with gestational diabetes. Most of the examined articles failed to find any significant change in the physical dimension of QOL of mothers with gestational diabetes. The psychological effects of gestational diabetes were diverse and less understandable, therefore, different studies obtained contradictory results in this regard. Three out of four studies examining the social dimension of QOL of women with gestational diabetes showed that mothers’ QOL could be jeopardized by social dimension. Conclusions: In general, the results revealed that gestational diabetes could affect various physical, psychological, and social dimensions of the QOL of mothers. In addition, adequate education should be provided for mothers with diabetes in order to reduce their fear, anxiety, and depression concerning gestational diabetes.