Psychosocial aspects of diabetes in pregnancy

Abstract

Abstract As treating physicians, we usually focus on the patient's medical condition, forgetting the impact of the illness on the psychosocial aspects of the patient's life. Patients with chronic medical illnesses usually suffer from a lot of psychosocial stress. Diabetes is one such medical condition where numerous studies focus on the physical and medical aspects, but fewer are concerned with the psychosocial experiences and needs of the patients. Transition to motherhood is a major life-changing event for all women. It brings in a big psychological impact on the woman who has to go through this transition with an added medical condition which can affect her pregnancy and also the health and well-being of the unborn child. In this article, we discuss the psychosocial issues faced by a diabetic woman going through the transition from pregnancy to motherhood.