Metabolic changes throughout pregnancy that affect glucose and insulin in the mother and the fetus are complicated but important to understand. Nurses should understand that:
a. Insulin crosses the placenta to the fetus only in the first trimester, after which the fetus secretes its own.
b. Women with insulin-dependent diabetes are prone to hyperglycemia during the first trimester because they are consuming more sugar.
c. During the second and third trimesters, pregnancy exerts a diabetogenic effect that ensures an abundant supply of glucose for the fetus.
d. Maternal insulin requirements steadily decline during pregnancy.
ANS: C
Pregnant women develop increased insulin resistance during the second and third trimesters. Insulin never crosses the placenta; the fetus starts making its own insulin around the tenth week. As a result of normal metabolic changes during pregnancy, insulin-dependent women are prone to hypoglycemia (low levels). Maternal insulin requirements may double or quadruple by the end of pregnancy.
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