Treatment For 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.
Gestational diabetes affects about four percent of pregnancies. Though the cause of gestational diabetes is not completely understood, a hormone that is produced that encourages the growth of the baby can inhibit the ability of the mother's natural insulin to metabolize glucose.
Birth defects are not a risk of gestational diabetes since gestational diabetes occurs late in the pregnancy. Since gestational diabetes increases the baby's size, the baby may be at increased risk of injury during birth.
Newborns whose mothers had gestational diabetes are at an increased risk for breathing problems. Newborns may also have very low blood glucose levels at birth and may be at risk for childhood obesity and type II diabetes in adulthood.
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.
Diabetic diets are the first treatment for gestational diabetes. The obstetrician may have the pregnant woman with gestational diabetes meet with a dietician or nutritionist who will devise a diabetic diet.
The diabetic diet typically includes three meals and two snacks each day. The diet usually specifies how many servings of each food group should be eaten with each meal and snack. The dietician may provide a food exchange list that includes suggestions and serving sizes for each food group.
Pregnant women with gestational diabetes are required to check their blood sugar levels multiple times during the day. If the gestational diabetes is not well controlled with diet, the pregnant woman may have to take insulin injections.
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.