Amy Valent DO, MCR, highlights new tech for prenatal diabetes management

In a recent interview with Contemporary OB/GYN, Amy Valent, DO, MCR, associate professor in the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division at Oregon Health & Science University, discussed advancements in technology for managing prenatal diabetes.

These advancements include new glucose monitoring technology that improves pattern identification in patient glucose. Improved treatment such as insulin smart pens have also been developed, allowing for more sophisticated dosing strategies. Valent reminded providers to individualize these tools based on the needs of their patients.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

How is diabetes traditionally managed in pregnancy?

Amy Valent DO, MCR:

Well, depending on certainly the type of diabetes that you have, we monitor blood sugar ranges, but also from a management perspective, we use nutritional and lifestyle behavioral modifications to be able to try to achieve our pregnancy target ranges. If we can’t achieve it using pregnancy target ranges, then first line therapy is insulin. There’s lots of different insulin delivery methods, such as injectables, inhaled insulin, as well as pump therapy to be able to deliver insulin. And then, of course, in circumstances where insulin is not a safe treatment choice, then we have very few oral agent alternatives as well.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

How might new technologies improve diabetes treatment among this population?

Valent:

Certainly, from a technology perspective, we have glucose monitoring technology such as our glucometers, which is our basic finger sticks, but now there are improving advancements in continuous glucose monitoring technologies that help us with identifying patterns and changes in glucose. And then we have our treatment technologies. So that can be as simple as our insulin smart pens that are able to Bluetooth the amount of insulin, as well as more sophisticated dosing strategies to our insulin pumps, now that there’s several different pumps that have significantly advanced in their technology, both in sensor augmented, so talking to the CGM sensor, or through a smart algorithm, and that’s called hybrid closed loop systems. But all of those different delivery methods should be individualized to the patient, because there’s certainly limitations to all of our different delivery methods.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

What is the significance of these changes?

Valent:

Yeah, I mean, I think theceiling of advancements, we are nowhere close to the ceiling of advancements, but from a technology perspective, it’s helping people not only just understand biologically what’s happening to them from the continuous glucose monitoring side, but also from just the technology side of delivering insulin, we can start to fine tune that to hopefully more mimic our natural physiology of insulin secretion.

Contemporary OB/GYN:

How can providers integrate these technologies into their clinical practice?

Valent:

Yeah, I mean, I think we just have to be able to understand what tools we have available in the toolbox to start, and then we are able to then take that to be able to individualize those tools to the patient who may need various aspects of being able to manage their blood sugar. So, for some, a hybrid closed loop system is going to work great for them using assistive techniques. Or for another who’s really on top of their glucose management may work better with sensor augmented therapy. And for those that feel really comfortable with injectable insulin and really like that, then maybe just a continuous glucose monitoring to be able to understand what their glucose is doing in real time.

No relevant disclosures

Reference

Valent A. Advances in managing diabetes in pregnancy: Practical approaches for integrating new diabetes technologies in clinical practice. Presented at: 2025 ACOG Clinical and Scientific Meeting. May 16-18, 2025. Minneapolis, Minnesota.