The anxiety of pregnant women with established type 1 or type 2 Diabetes Mellitus – Systematic review

Introduction: Women with pre-existing type I and II diabetes mellitus in pregnancy are a high-risk group for developing complications in both themselves and their infants. The level of stress women with pre-existing diabetes experience at the early and late pregnancy, may determine its outcome. Aim: The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature regarding the investigation of the anxiety level of pregnant women with pre-existing type I or II D.M. Methodology: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken by searching scientific articles in the Pubmed database. Seven primary studies were included in the present thesis that were written in English, published in the last ten years and included women with pre-existing D.M. Results: The prevalence of anxiety symptoms in pregnant women with D.M. was found to be 40% at the beginning of pregnancy, which is five times higher than in pregnant women without D.M. Pregnancy-related stress was associated with vaginal bleeding, preterm birth, induction of labor and use of birth control medications. A greater improvement in the score of the concise mental element was observed with lower HbA1c in late pregnancy. Conclusions: The prevalence of stress in early pregnancy is higher in women with diabetes and hyperglycemia compared to pregnant women without D.M., but the frequency of stress is not affected by their glycemic status.