About Our Service
Our Diabetes & Endocrine Clinic provides care to women with pre-existing diabetes (type 1, type 2, MODY, pre-diabetes), gestational diabetes developed during pregnancy, and women with other underlying endocrine disorders such as hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, Addison Disease and insulinoma.
Email: diabetesservice@coombe.ie
Care Approach
Our multidisciplinary team includes midwives, endocrinologists, obstetricians and dietitians, who liaise with other healthcare professionals (medical social work, PMHS, neonatologists, anaesthetics, lactation) as required. We work together to create personalised care plans to maintain blood sugar control in diabetes, stabilise endocrine disorders, ensure good maternal and infant outcomes and promote long term health improvements.
We provide care Monday to Friday, with an out of hours endocrinologist ‘on call’ service, ensuring the provision of evidence based care seven days a week. We offer a weekly clinic, along with multiple midwife led education and assessment clinics.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy, where there is too much glucose (sugar) in your blood. With the right care and support, it can be managed effectively and it usually goes away once your baby is born. When poorly managed, it can cause health problems for you and your baby. If you have a previous history of gestational diabetes, or risk factors are noted at your booking appointment (or at any other appointment), we will schedule an OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) for you at our Perinatal Centre. For more information on this test, please click here.
For most women, gestational diabetes can be managed through a healthy diet, exercise and checking blood glucose levels regularly. Some women will require specialised diets and/or medication.
If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, it is important to understand the condition, how it affects you and your baby, and how you can support yourself to have a healthy pregnancy.
Managing Gestational Diabetes in Pregnancy, developed by Maternity Dieticians Ireland, provides lots of helpful information and guidance.
Click here to download.
How We Support You
If you have pre-existing diabetes, or have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes in your current or previous pregnancies, our Diabetes Clinic will be providing you with extra support, alongside your obstetrics team.
Click here and here for more information on how we will support you.
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is encouraged as it can protect you and your baby from the risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes and other illnesses in later life.
Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are at risk of low blood glucose levels when they are born so we will check your baby’s levels regularly. You will also be encouraged to feed your baby frequently (every 2-3 hours) to prevent low blood glucose levels.
Diabetes can affect your milk supply, so if you are choosing to breastfeed, please contact our lactation team by 34 weeks of pregnancy for advice. You may wish to consider colostrum harvesting to promote your milk supply and to have ready for your baby’s first feed.
Click here for more information on breastfeeding with gestational diabetes.
If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you can still breastfeed your baby successfully.
Click here for more information on breastfeeding with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
Postnatal Advice
For most women, gestational diabetes goes away after the birth of their baby. However, research shows that up to 50% of women diagnosed with gestational diabetes develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years of the birth. It is important to adopt a healthy lifestyle to reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes, and to prevent complications associated with diabetes in later life.
What do I do next?
You will receive a postnatal appointment to have your bloods checked 6-8 weeks after the birth of your baby. If your results suggest that the diabetes is ongoing, we will arrange an appointment for you to attend our endocrinologist to offer advice on how to manage the condition and subsequent pregnancies.
Even if your results are within the normal range, it’s important to screen for diabetes each year with your GP, as you are at increased risk, and type 2 can develop slowly with minimal symptoms.
Please refer to our guide below for advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and approaching future pregnancies.
Managing Type 2 Diabetes
If you have pre-existing diabetes, our Diabetes Clinic will be providing you with extra support, alongside your obstetrics team.
Please refer to our guide for details on what this care will involve.
FAQs
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We recommend anyone with pre-existing diabetes registers as soon as possible. Preferably within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.
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Self referral - call our diabetes midwife on 086 6077630) or via the registration form by disclosing a pre-existing condition.
GP, Fertility Clinic or endocrinologist referral via mail -diabetesservice@coombe.ie or post.
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Once the referral is identified, the diabetes midwife will call you for a phone consultation. Following this, an individualised patient care plan will be created for you, to include virtual or in-person clinic appointments.
The aim is to immediately start to stabilise your blood glucose levels, either as an outpatient or an inpatient if required (hospital admission).
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If you had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy, you will be booked for testing, starting from 12 weeks or your first booking visit.
If any risk factors were identified at your booking visit, there will be a routine glucose tolerance test (GTT) booked for between 26-28 weeks of your pregnancy.
If there are clinical signs of suspected gestational diabetes at an antenatal appointment or ultrasound, your clinician will refer you for a test.
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It’s important to disclose this on your hospital registration form as it will be taken into account when scheduling appointments. Please also mention it to the midwife when they are taking your history at your first appointment.
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Any woman with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, MODY, hyperthyroidism, Addison Disease, gestational diabetes or on insulin or metformin treatment.
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Unless specified otherwise, you will attend your obstetrics team for your antenatal appointments in our Outpatient or Private Clinic.
It is not possible to attend a midwifery led clinic if you have confirmed gestational diabetes, you will need to be moved to obstetrician led care.
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Not necessarily! Diet is the foundation treatment for all women with gestational diabetes. Whether you need medication will be based on individual clinical presentations and assessments.
Choose The Right Care For You
Our clinics offer tailored care for every stage of a woman’s life, from family planning and maternity to menopause and beyond. Whether you choose Public, Semi Private, or Private Services, we are here to provide expert, compassionate care that supports your health and wellbeing every step of the way.
Public Clinic
If you are living and working in Ireland and have the PRSI contributions or you have a medical card you can access free maternity and newborn care.
Semi Private Clinic
The Semi Private Clinic is a fee based option. Most women who choose this clinic use private health insurance to cover costs.
Private Clinic
There are a number of consultant obstetricians offering services through our Private Clinic. Antenatal care fees vary between consultants..
Patient Experience
Every patient’s path to diagnosis and treatment is individual. No matter your specific journey, we believe in empowering you to take an active role in your healthcare.
Departments & Services
Help & Support
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Appointments:
All appointments can be directed through Hospital reception: 01 408 5200, 24 hours a day -
Health Insurance:
We operate a direct payment scheme with VHI, Laya Healthcare, Irish Life Health, Garda Medical Aid, ESB, Medical Provident Fund, and Prison Officers Medical Aid. If you are covered by any of these insurers, the relevant insurance forms are signed electronically on your admission to hospital.
Fees:
For more information on Fees - visit our Hospital Charges page -
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The Resource Page:
Browse our collection of patient resources, brochures, and information leaflets—all in one place. Downloadable and easy to access, these documents cover everything from appointments and procedures to maternity, newborn care, and more.
Contact Us
Tel: 01 408 5200
Find Us
The Coombe Hospital
Switchboard:
Location:
Cork St, Dublin, D08 XW7X