As diabetes cases continue to rise, the number of women in the UK who have pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes, type 1 diabetes, or type 2 diabetes has doubled. Managing diabetes during pregnancy is challenging and many women are at risk of gaining excess weight during this time.
Research has shown that women are at risk of retaining this extra weight following pregnancy and in future years. But there are currently no UK guidelines on how much weight pregnant women living with diabetes should gain. This research aims to improve our knowledge of this, and to explore women's experience of weight changes during and after pregnancy.
The researchers are looking for women:
- aged 18 years or older;
- who've had one baby within the last three years;
- who are living with type 1, type 2 diabetes, or were diagnosed with gestational diabetes during their last pregnancy.
Participants will be asked to complete a short online questionnaire and if interested, can participate in a virtual focus group which aims to:
• explore knowledge and experience and identify barriers that influence weight change during and after pregnancy;
• identify useful resources to support managing weight after pregnancy.
If you're interested in taking part, you can access the questionnaire here - or if you have any questions, please reach out to Ms Samantha McCombe at McCombe-S1@ulster.ac.uk.
