Postpartum care of the woman with diabetes

The postpartum period in women with diabetes or GDM allows both the physician and mother to relax from the intensive medical and obstetric management that has permitted, in most cases, a successful and joyous outcome. The role of the physician, however, must switch to a proactive and preventive mode to formulate a reproductive health plan for women with diabetes and GDM. The plan should be individualized to address glycemic management and surveillance, nutritional management, contraception prescription, future pregnancy planning, and lifestyle changes. Essential to the development of a reproductive health plan is the active participation of the patient, who through education gains an understanding of the far-reaching effects her active participation will have on her subsequent health and possibly on that of her future children.