Gestational Diabetes

Diabetes that develops during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes. If a woman has diabetes before she is pregnant, this is called pre-existing diabetes, not gestational diabetes.

About four percent of all pregnant women develop gestational diabetes. The cause of gestational diabetes is not completely understood, but it may have to do with hormones that help the baby develop but have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the mother’s natural insulin in her body.

Since gestational diabetes occurs late in a pregnancy, it does not pose a risk of birth defects. The baby can be affected by increasing the baby’s body mass which makes the baby susceptible to injury during birth.

If a pregnant woman has gestational diabetes, the newborn may be at an increased risk for breathing problems. Newborns of women with gestational diabetes may also have low blood glucose levels at birth. People whose mothers had gestational diabetes during the pregnancy may be prone to obesity and type II diabetes.

Testing for gestational diabetes includes drinking a glucose solution and timed blood testing. A blood sample may be drawn at the beginning of the test. Women are typically tested again an hour after drinking a glucose solution and may be tested after a longer period of time.

Gestational diabetes is treated with a diabetic diet. A pregnant woman with gestational diabetes may need to meet with a dietitian who will create a diabetic diet for the pregnant woman to follow.

Three meals and two snacks are typically included in the diabetic diet for gestational diabetes. Food intake is generally not necessarily restricted, but it instructs the pregnant woman to eat a variety of foods from certain food groups for each meal and snack. In exchange list with the food groups and examples of foods and serving sizes for each food group may be given to the pregnant woman as a reference.

Checking blood sugar levels is an important part of managing gestational diabetes. The woman may be required to check her blood sugar levels multiple times a day and report the readings to the doctor’s office. If the gestational diabetes is not well managed, the pregnant woman may need to start taking insulin by injection.

It is not common for a woman or newborn to have diabetes immediately after birth. Women who have had gestational diabetes may be at increased risk of developing type II diabetes. With proper management, the effects of gestational diabetes on the mother and baby can be minimal.

Tagged with: Diabetes

Filed under: Diabetes

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