Gestational Diabetes: What is it?
A woman who is in her twenty-fourth to twenty-eighth week of pregnancy can develop a form of diabetes called gestational diabetes, even if she has no history of the disease. 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes are documented in the United States each year. Despite the fact that it is a severe situation, women detected with gestational diabetes can give birth to infants that are healthy. The risks of gestational diabetes are reduced with appropriate medical care, a nutritious diet, and weight gain that is neither too slow nor too rapid.
Somewhere in the vicinity of the twenty-fourth and twenty-eighth weeks of pregnancy, a physician will request some testing to rule out the possibility of gestational diabetes. One of the following two testing techniques might be used. Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (One Step): entails going without food for four to eight hours and determining blood glucose levels. Then a drink that is high in sugar is consumed and the blood glucose is again determined after two hours. Two Step: entails consuming the high sugar drink first, then blood glucose is determined after one hour. A non-diabetic's sugar will be in the normal parameters within one hour. If the levels are elevated, the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test will then be issued.
No one knows why gestational diabetes happens, but some speculations are that the fetus makes hormones that prevent the mother from making adequate amounts of insulin to maintain blood sugar levels. A pregnant woman's body is undergoing change and can require up to three times the normal amount of insulin needed to control her blood sugar levels. Macrosomia can occur in the infant if the surplus of sugar is passed to them through the placenta.
Additional risks for the mother-to-be and her child are: A caesarian section may be needed to prevent endangering a macrosomic infant. Low blood glucose levels may exist in the baby. Jaundice may be present in the baby. There may be low levels of minerals in the baby's blood. The baby may have trouble with breathing when born. Children born under these circumstances run higher risks of being overweight. Developing Type 2 diabetes is more common in the mothers and children. The risk of gestational diabetes in future pregnancies is higher.
In order to steer clear of risks to both mother and her fetus, gestational diabetes needs to be caught and dealt with promptly. A physician will recommend a nutritious diet and safe exercise plan. Moderating carbohydrate intake and exercise helps to control weight gain. An extreme weight increase leads to complications for the mother in addition to the instant and potential risks to the infant. If Insulin is required to manage blood glucose levels, the physician will explain how to take it. Keeping an eye on the blood glucose level is another way to steer clear of danger.
After delivery, gestational diabetes goes away on its own. The placenta is no longer producing hormones that affected the mother's ability to produce insulin. It is highly recommended to obtain another glucose test six weeks after giving birth to ensure that Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes was not incorrectly diagnosed as gestational diabetes. Having another test performed will also assess the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes down the road.
Women who have had gestational diabetes, and their children, can reduce the risk of having Type 2 diabetes later on by making alterations in their eating and exercising habits. Eating right and exercising are essential to losing weight; obesity is the leading cause of Type 2 diabetes.