Early Age Diagnosis
There is an increasing prevalence of diabetes and hypertension among women in childbearing age. This has a health defining impact for the rest of their lives.
condition & Pregnancy
Chronic conditions may be present before or develop during a pregnancy. Careful care and management is critical for a successful pregnancy outcome.
After pregnancy life
Diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension) can continue to be present after the pregnacy and may cause cardiovascular and kidney complications if unmanaged. So, continued care and management is very important.
child-bearing age diagnosis
The prevalence of hypertension among young adults and individuals of child-bearing age (roughly 15 to 49 years) in South Africa is high, with about 27% of adults under 40 affected, and elevated blood pressure tracking strongly from adolescence into these reproductive years. Cohort studies like Soweto’s Birth to Twenty Plus project found that elevated or high blood pressure affects up to 47% of young adult females by their late 20s.
The overall prevalence of diabetes among adult women in South Africa is approximately 15.5%, with specific gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) ranging widely from 1.6% to 25.8% depending on diagnostic criteria and regional screening methods. General population studies show women face a higher diabetes prevalence (15.5%) compared to men (11.9%).
Chronic disease & your pregnancy
Poorly managed diabetes during pregnancy causes high blood sugar that harms both the mother and the baby. It leads to serious health threats like high blood pressure, large birth size, early birth, and birth defects. Similarly, uncontrolled high blood pressure during pregnancy poses severe dangers to both the mother and the baby, including stroke, organ damage, placental abruption, and preterm birth. Prompt medical management is critical to prevent life-threatening complications.
Proper management and care before and during pregnancy helps lower these major risks.
AFTER THE PREGNANCY
An individual woman may be diagnosed with pregnancy either before pregnancy, or develop diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes). Gestational diabetes usually resolves immediately after delivery, but requires careful blood sugar tracking and lifelong screening because it raises your risk for type 2 diabetes. After delivery of the baby, diabetes care requires immediate adjustment of gestational medications, monitoring for blood sugar normalization within 4 to 12 weeks, and maintaining long-term lifestyle habits to prevent Type 2 diabetes and manage pre-pregnancy diabetes.
Hypertension that existed during pregnancy may persist after childbirth. Postpartum hypertension is high blood pressure that develops or persists after childbirth. Postpartum hypertension care in South Africa requires blood pressure (BP) monitoring within 3 to 6 days after delivery. Postpartum blood pressure monitoring for women with a history of hypertensive disorders or preeclampsia should include daily readings for the first two weeks, as blood pressure frequently peaks between days 3 and 7 after delivery.