Gestational diabetes is when a pregnant woman who has never had diabetes develops diabetes in the twenty-fourth to twenty-eighth week of pregnancy. There are reportedly 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes each year in the United States. While it is a serious condition, women diagnosed with gestational diabetes can and do deliver healthy babies. With the proper medical care, a healthy diet, and controlled weight acquire the dangers of this type of diabetes are minimized.
Somewhere in the vicinity of the twenty-fourth and twenty-eighth weeks of pregnancy, a doctor 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's 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.
It is not known for sure why gestational diabetes occurs. However, theories suggest that the developing baby produces hormones that block the mother’s capability to create enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal. Due to the changes that her body is undergoing, she may need up to three times as much insulin as normal to eliminate the excess sugar in her blood stream. The excess of sugar in the blood can be directed to the fetus, through the placenta, causing a condition called Macrosomia or simply put, “fat baby”.
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 might exist in the baby. Jaundice might be present in the baby. There might be low levels of minerals in the baby’s blood. The baby might 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 danger of gestational diabetes in future pregnancies is higher.
In order to refrain risks to both mom and her baby, gestational diabetes needs to be diagnosed and treated swiftly. Along with other advice that the health care bourgeois gives, a healthy diet and innocuous exercise program should be initiated. Carbohydrate intake needs to be minimized because they're nearly directly converted to sugar. Moderate exercise helps to maintain weight gain. An excessive weight acquire leads to risks for the mom as well as the immediate and future risks to the baby. If Insulin is needed to control blood sugar levels, take it as directed by the healthcare provider. Monitoring the blood glucose level closely is another way to refrain risk.
After delivery, gestational diabetes goes away on its own. The placenta is no longer producing hormones that affected the mother’s capability 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 wasn't incorrectly diagnosed as gestational diabetes. Having another test performed will also assess the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes down the road.
The risk of having Type 2 diabetes in women, who have had gestational diabetes, and their children, can be lessened by making changes in their intake and exercising habits. Obesity is the leading cause of Type 2 diabetes, but intake right and exercising and losing the excess weight can make all the difference.