If your doctor fails to diagnose gestational diabetes while you were pregnant and it is not managed, you may suffer serious consequences. You should be tested for gestational diabetes in your second trimester to ensure that your body is producing insulin and breaking down sugars properly. If not, you and your baby can face serious harm.
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Failing to Diagnose Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is diabetes that is diagnosed during pregnancy, usually between 24-28 weeks. Around this time, you should be scheduled to take a blood-glucose test, also known as a glucose-intolerance test. This test measures how your body is producing insulin to break down sugars. Many women experience an insulin deficiency during pregnancy, which can cause major problems. Identifying the problem can help you manage it and hopefully prevent any risks that are associated with gestational diabetes.
Your doctor and the nurses who are overseeing your pregnancy should monitor the risk factors that can make you vulnerable to gestational diabetes. These risk factors include obesity, pre-diabetes, and your age. If you are over 25 years old, that is also considered a risk factor. Your doctor should review your medical history for these risk factors and work out a treatment plan to avoid gestational diabetes.
This is part of your medical team’s standard duty of care. If they fail to take the proper steps in addressing the possibility that you may develop gestational diabetes, serious consequences could occur. Gestational diabetes can be managed, but if your doctor does not diagnose it and it is left untreated, it can cause serious harm to you and your baby.
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Problems Associated with Gestational Diabetes
The problems associated with gestational diabetes range from mild to severe. However, even mild complications can turn into severe problems.
The risks of gestational diabetes include:
- An abnormally sized baby
- C-section delivery
- Preeclampsia
- Premature birth
- Shoulder dystocia
- Stillbirth
- Miscarriage
- Respiratory issues
- Hypoglycemia
- Maternal and fetal diabetes
Gestational diabetes can also heighten problems that are already common in pregnancy, such as jaundice and post-partum depression. In fact, a study released by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that women who had gestational diabetes were four times more likely to experience postpartum depression than those whose blood sugar levels were normal throughout the pregnancy.
All of these complications carry the risk of becoming severe problems during your pregnancy and afterward. In addition to being life-altering, they can also be very costly, especially if they lead to permanent injuries.
The good news is that gestational diabetes. That is why is it so important for your doctor to know your medical history, identify your risk factors, and devise a plan to prevent this condition. Proper management and treatment of gestational diabetes will prevent it from affecting your health and the health of your baby.
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How Does a Doctor Fail to Diagnose Gestational Diabetes
According to John Hopkins Medicine, medical malpractice kills over 150,000 people in the U.S. every year becoming the third leading cause of death. It can include surgical errors, medication errors, birth injuries but the most common claim for malpractice is misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose.
It might seem unfathomable for a doctor to miss diagnosing gestational diabetes. Remember though doctors and other medical personnel are not some immortal species. They are humans too who can make mistakes.
On the other hand, sometimes it can be pure medical negligence. It may be a case of medical professions just not caring. It may be that they were not thorough enough with reviewing medical history, lab work, tests, or the like. In this case, you deserve justice and hold the liable party accountable.
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What to Do if My Doctor Failed to Diagnose Gestational Diabetes
If your doctor failed to diagnose your gestational diabetes and you are now suffering the consequences, you may be entitled to compensation.
Call the law firm of The Birth Injury Lawyers Group at (800) 222-9529 to speak with a member of our team and discuss your legal options.
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