article by Robert M. DiSogra, AuD - TAP Board of Directors (Information current at time of publication) According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, during pregnancy, the placenta supplies a growing fetus with nutrients and water and also produces a variety of hormones to maintain the pregnancy (estrogen, cortisol, and human placental lactogen). These hormones can have a blocking effect on insulin....
Audiologists should consider gestational diabetes in a child's prenatal history as a possible risk factor when conducting pediatric hearing evaluations, though the underlying evidence referenced is from external research rather than new data presented here.
Identifying gestational diabetes as a potential contributor to pediatric hearing loss could improve early screening practices and strengthen collaboration between audiology and obstetric care teams.
- 01Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is linked to an increased risk of hearing loss in the children of affected mothers.