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Gestational Diabetes
Gestational Diabetes is a condition that is discovered during pregnancy and is characterized by high blood glucose (sugar) levels. During pregnancy there are many hormonal changes and an increased level of some of the hormones made in the placenta can interfere with normal insulin actions that manage glucose. When this happens it is known as insulin resistance.In some women, their pancreas cannot produce the extra insulin needed to overcome this resistance resulting in the diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes.
Women who have been diagnosed or who have had Gestational Diabetes are more likely than other women to develop Type II Diabetes later on. Most physicians test for Gestational Diabetes during week 13 of pregnancy. The test is called oral glucose tolerance test and involves drinking a sweetened liquid containing 50g of glucose. Your blood sugar levels will rise within 30-60 minutes at which time a blood test will be performed to measure how the liquid was metabolized. If the result is not normal, a second test will be performed. The second test requires you to fast (not eat anything). If the second test also results as abnormal you will be diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes.
After you have been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, you and your physician will discuss insulin injections, monitoring your blood glucose levels and maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine.
Symptoms:
Most women do not experience symptoms, but if they do occur, the most common symptoms are:
Increased Thirst
Increased Urination
Increased Hunger
Blurred Vision
Are You at Risk?
These factors increase your risk of developing diabetes during
pregnancy:
- Being overweight prior to becoming pregnant (if you are 20% or more over your ideal body weight)
- Family history of diabetes (if your parents or siblings have diabetes)
- Being over age 25
- Previously giving birth to a baby over 9 pounds
- Previously giving birth to a stillborn baby
- Having gestational diabetes with a previous pregnancy
- Having too much amniotic fluid (a condition called polyhydramnios)
Keep in mind that half of women who develop gestational diabetes have no known risk factors.
