Guides on gestational diabetes available

Two new U.S. government guides can help women make informed decisions about gestational diabetes while pregnant, public health officials said.

The guides are available from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Rockville, Md., and were produced through AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program — a federal effort authorized by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act that aims to compare alternative treatments for health conditions and make the findings public.

The guides are meant to help patients, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and others learn about the most effective treatments now available, officials said.

Gestational diabetes — a potentially dangerous condition for mother and baby — affects seven out of 100 pregnant women. Although the condition disappears after childbirth, 60 percent of the mothers go on to develop diabetes within 10 years.

The free guides may be downloaded from AHRQ’s Web site or ordered by emailing ahrqpubs@ahrq.gov or by calling 1-800-358-9295.