[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 45 (Thursday, March 15, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S3215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. CLINTON:
  S. 907. A bill to establish an Advisory Committee on Gestational 
Diabetes, to provide grants to better understand and reduce gestational 
diabetes, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the 
Gestational Diabetes Act of 2007 with my colleague Senator Collins, to 
bring attention to an important health issue facing women and children.
  I don't need to tell anyone that we have an obesity epidemic in the 
United States. Many of us realize that as parents, it is our 
responsibility to pass on good nutritional habits to our children. But 
many women may not realize that watching what you eat, exercising 
regularly, and having control of your blood sugar levels are serious 
health considerations during pregnancy. In fact, these factors are 
serious enough that they can affect both the health of the mother and 
the life of the child into adulthood.
  More women than ever are entering their pregnancies overweight but 
without an understanding of how their own weight and nutritional habits 
can trigger gestational diabetes--a type of diabetes that only occurs 
during pregnancy. Women who are overweight before pregnancy are not 
only at greater risk of having gestational diabetes but are also more 
likely to have a c-section and are at an increased risk for other 
serious pregnancy complications.
  In New York, gestational diabetes is on the rise. In New York City 
alone, gestational diabetes has risen by nearly 50 percent in about 10 
years. This means that gestational diabetes affects 1 in 25 women, 
about 400 women per month. But across the Nation, between 4 and 8 
percent of pregnant women in the United States are affected by 
gestational diabetes. Infants of women who have gestational diabetes 
are at increased risk for obesity and developing type 2 diabetes as 
adolescents or adults.
  As women, we need to pay attention to our health. We are always 
worrying about the health of our children, our husbands, and our 
parents, but we often forget to take care of ourselves.
  Today, I am introducing the Gestational Diabetes Act, also known as 
the GEDI Act. This legislation will increase our understanding of 
gestational diabetes by determining the factors that contribute to this 
condition and help mothers who had gestational diabetes reduce their 
risk of developing type 2 diabetes post-pregnancy.
  The GEDI Act will provide funding for projects to assist health care 
providers, as well as for communities to find ways to reach out to 
women so that they understand how their own good health during 
pregnancy can decrease serious health risks for their children.
  The GEDI Act would expand research to determine and develop 
interventions to lower the incidence of gestational diabetes. We need 
to alert women to the risk before this condition becomes an epidemic 
and, as we have seen so many times before, education is critical.
  We should be doing everything we can to address the impact of obesity 
during pregnancy and to reduce the prevalence of gestational diabetes 
in pregnant women. The GEDI Act is an important step in assuring that 
women understand this critical issue and that we fully understand how 
to equip pregnant women to make the best choices for their health.
  The GEDI Act is supported by the American Diabetes Association, 
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, National Research 
Center for Women & Families, International Community Health Services, 
American Association of Diabetes Educators, and the American 
Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
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