Doctor talking about CGM during pregnancy for women with type 2 diabetes

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Diabetes discussions: CGM during pregnancy

For people with diabetes, if you skip a meal during a busy day, it’s easy for your glucose levels to get off-balance. But for expecting mothers with diabetes, not keeping your levels in range can be more serious. Certified diabetes care and education specialist Gary Scheiner and Dexcom Warrior Dale discuss how continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology has helped her in her pregnancy**. For Dale, glucose control has become vital in her third trimester.

“I really wish I had had it back in the first trimester because my glucose levels were really unpredictable at that point,” she said. “I was going low a lot, and I know it would’ve helped me manage that better. As a mom of a toddler, it reminds me to eat^# because sometimes I can completely forget if my whole morning’s gone, and that’s a good little reminder throughout the day that definitely helps to keep my levels where they need to be.”

Gary, also a Dexcom CGM user, finds measuring time in range more useful than an A1C test alone because it shows the quality of glucose control. Dale agreed.

“The CGM has really offered something that, honestly, up to this point, my endocrinologists have not,” she said. “I feel like I go in for the checkup and they just ask, ‘What’s your A1C at?’ Then they decide to keep the treatment or change it and then we move on. Having that data available to me daily is really helping how I manage the glucose levels on a day-to-day basis.”  

Watch the video to learn more about the benefits of CGM or read the transcript below.

The views expressed in this conversation are the speakers’ own and are not intended to be medical advice. Please consult your provider regarding your individual health needs. Gary and Dale are paid spokespersons of Dexcom, Inc

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Video Transcript

Gary: Hi, Dale. My name’s Gary Scheiner. I’m a certified diabetes care and education specialist. I’m also a Dexcom user.

Dale: Hi, Gary. Nice to meet you. My name is Dale. I have been living with type 2 diabetes for about 10 years now. I actually just started using Dexcom CGM about two weeks ago, so I am very new to using it.

Gary: How much do you miss doing all the daily fingersticks?

*Fingersticks required for diabetes treatment decisions if symptoms or expectations do not match readings.

Dale: I do not miss it at all.

Gary: Being in your third trimester of pregnancy, I imagine glucose control is very important to you at this point.

Dale: Yes, I’ve found it extremely helpful and I really wish I had had it back in the first trimester because my glucose levels were really unpredictable at that point. I was going low a lot, and I know it would’ve helped me manage that better.

Gary: I know from my own personal experience I definitely see more time in range, fewer lows, fewer highs ^1-5. How do you feel it’s affected you?

Dale: I definitely think just that ease of the day to day. I see less highs. As a mom, it reminds me to eat^# because sometimes I can completely forget if my whole morning’s gone and that’s a good just little reminder throughout the day and that I’ve noticed over time that definitely helps to keep my levels where they need to be.

Gary: Does it affect your decision-making or your behaviors in some way?

Dale: It absolutely affects my decision-making. When I can see on the app^¶ that I am going high soon or I’m going low soon, that really helps me in the moment to remind myself, “OK, you need to make a smart decision right now with what you’re eating.” Because without that, I’m just going to grab what’s convenient. Especially just running around with the day to day, I will absolutely just grab something out of the fridge and it’s probably not the best decision if I don’t have that data to help me guide those choices.

Gary: Yeah, that time in range measurement I find very helpful. It’s so much more useful than just seeing just what your A1C or your overall average is because you can see the quality of your glucose control and not just the overall average throughout the day. Do you agree with that?

Dale: Absolutely. I think the CGM has really offered something that, honestly, up to this point, my endocrinologists have not. I feel like I go in for the checkup and they just ask, “What’s your A1C at?” Then they decide to keep the treatment or change it and then we move on. Having that data available to me daily is really helping how I manage the glucose levels on a day-to-day basis. Gary, I did have a question for you. Now that I have this CGM data, how would you say I could bring that into my appointments with my endocrinologist?

Gary: Well, Dexcom has a program called Clarity that allows you and your doctor, your whole healthcare team, to be able to look at your CGM data ^§, look for patterns and trends, and see where any adjustments might need to be made. But you had also mentioned using the notes and providing that contextual information about what you’re eating, when you’re getting your physical activity, things like sleep patterns. Those are also useful, helpful bits of information that your doctor can use to help fine-tune your care. Dale, thanks so much for sharing your experiences, and best of luck with your pregnancy.

Dale: Thank you. It was great talking to you.

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^†Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring system is a diabetes management system indicated for people with diabetes ages two years and older. ^‡Arrow must be displayed with glucose number to make treatment decisions. ^§An internet connection is required for users to send their glucose data to Dexcom Clarity via a compatible smart device: dexcom.com/compatibility. Healthcare providers will only be able to view a user’s glucose data if the user elects to share it with them through Dexcom Clarity. ^||Battelino T, et al. Diabetes Care. 2019;42(8):1593-1603. ^¶Compatible smart device sold separately. To view a list of compatible devices, visit dexcom.com/compatibility. ^#The Dexcom CGM alerts are based on glucose readings. The device itself does not remind users to eat. **Dexcom G7 can be worn during pregnancy for all types of diabetes (type 1, type 2, or gestational). ^††Dale and Dr. Scheiner are paid spokespersons of Dexcom, Inc. 1 Beck RW, et al. JAMA. 2017;317(4):371-378. 2 Beck RW, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2017;167(6):365-374. 3 Martens T, et al. JAMA. 2021;325(22):2262-2272. 4 Šoupal J, et al. Diabetes Care. 2020;43:37-43. 5 Welsh JB, et al. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2022:19322968221099879.

BRIEF SAFETY STATEMENT: Failure to use the Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring System and its components according to the instructions for use provided with your device and available at https://www.dexcom.com/safety-information and to properly consider all indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and cautions in those instructions for use may result in you missing a severe hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) or hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) occurrence and/or making a treatment decision that may result in injury. If your glucose alerts and readings from the Dexcom CGM do not match symptoms, use a blood glucose meter to make diabetes treatment decisions. Seek medical advice and attention when appropriate, including for any medical emergency.