If a woman does not already have diabetes, she may acquire gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes affects somewhere between 2% and 10% of pregnancies each year in the US. Taking care of your gestational diabetes will help ensure that both you and your unborn child have good pregnancies.
What Causes Diabetes During Pregnancy?
When your body can't create enough insulin while you're pregnant, you get gestational diabetes. Your pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which functions as a key to allow blood sugar to enter your body's cells for use as fuel.
Your body produces more hormones during pregnancy, along with other changes like weight growth. Insulin resistance is a condition where your body's cells use insulin less efficiently as a result of these changes. Your body requires more insulin if you have insulin resistance.
In late pregnancy, insulin resistance is a common occurrence in pregnant women. However, some females already have insulin resistance prior to conception. They require more insulin at the beginning of pregnancy and are more likely to develop gestational diabetes.
Risk Factors and Symptoms
Usually, gestational diabetes has no symptoms. Your doctor may suspect that you have gestational diabetes based on your medical history and whether you have any risk factors, but you must be tested to be sure.
Related Health Problems
Being pregnant with gestational diabetes increases your risk of having high blood pressure. Additionally, it may raise your chance of delivering a large baby that requires a cesarean delivery (C-section).
If you have gestational diabetes, your infant is more vulnerable to:
- Weighing nine pounds or more, which can make delivery more challenging.
- Early birth, which can result in breathing and other issues.
- A low blood sugar level.
- Later in life developing type 2 diabetes.
After your baby is born, your blood sugar levels will often return to normal. However, type 2 diabetes develops in roughly 50% of pregnant women with gestational diabetes. By regaining a healthy body weight after birth, you can reduce your risk. Visit your doctor to have your blood sugar levels checked six to twelve weeks after the birth of your child and then once every one to three years to make sure they are within the normal range.
Gestational Diabetes Testing
It's crucial to get diagnosed with gestational diabetes so you can start treatment and safeguard both your health and the health of your unborn child.
You'll likely be tested between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy because gestational diabetes typically appears around the 24th week of pregnancy.
Your doctor might test you early if you're at a higher risk for gestational diabetes. Early in your pregnancy, blood sugar levels that are higher than normal could be a sign of type 1 or type 2 diabetes rather than gestational diabetes.
Prevention
If you are overweight before becoming pregnant, decreasing weight and engaging in regular exercise may help you avoid gestational diabetes.
In the event that you are already expecting, avoid dieting. For your kid to be healthy, you'll need to put on some weight gradually. How much weight you should acquire for a safe pregnancy should be discussed with your doctor.
Diabetes Type 2 Prevention
There are things you may take to prevent type 2 diabetes, which develops in about 50% of women with gestational diabetes. Consult your doctor about risk reduction strategies and how frequently you should have your blood sugar checked to ensure that you're on track.
Gestational Diabetes Treatment
You have a lot of options for managing gestational diabetes. Attend all of your prenatal checkups and adhere to your treatment schedule, which may include:
- Ensuring that your blood sugar levels remain within a safe range by checking them.
- Eating nutritious meals at the appropriate times and in the proper amounts. Observe a diet recommended by your doctor or nutritionist.
- Being energetic. Regular moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking, reduces blood sugar and increases insulin sensitivity, reducing the amount of insulin your body needs. Always consult your doctor before engaging in any physical activity to see if there are any you should avoid.
- Monitoring your baby. Your doctor will assess the growth and development of your child.
Your doctor may recommend insulin, metformin, or other medications if a good diet and regular exercise are insufficient to control your blood sugar.
