In your pregnancy, gestational diabetes can be a threat to your health and that of your baby. Here is what you need to know.
Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. Your body’s cells need insulin to absorb the glucose from the food you eat. Glucose is your body’s energy supply and if it is not supplied through your food, your body will take the glucose from your stored fat or even your muscle.
A pregnant woman’s body also supplies her baby’s nutritional needs. That’s why gestational diabetes is such an important risk. If you have gestational diabetes, you have an increased risk for stillbirth. Your unborn baby also has a risk of contracting a congenital defect.
Babies born to women with gestational diabetes also tend to be larger, making labor more difficult. Many of these deliveries end up being via Cesarean section, which tends to be riskier for both mother and child.
You may be at risk for gestational diabetes if you have family members with diabetes. Likewise, if you are overweight or have high blood pressure, you are at greater risk for getting gestational diabetes.
During the first trimester of your pregnancy, gestational diabetes tests will be administered. Your blood and urine will be regularly checked. If glucose is detected, you will be given a glucose tolerance test. In this test, you will drink a sugary beverage, and then your blood will be checked regularly for several hours thereafter. The test will determine how much glucose is absorbed in your body and how much is absorbed by your blood.
If your blood glucose levels are too high, you will be given a treatment plan. You will be given a strict diet to help control your blood sugar levels. You will also be given instructions for regularly checking your blood sugar levels. This test involves pricking a fingertip, collecting a drop of blood onto a test strip, and then inserting the strip into a testing device, which records your blood sugar level.
If diet alone does not control blood sugar levels, you may have to take insulin. In very rare cases, the woman is hospitalized until birth.
Fortunately, gestational diabetes often clears up after birth. However, women diagnosed with gestational diabetes are a greater risk of becoming diabetic later in life. To avoid doing so, it is important to eat right and watch your weight.
In pregnancy, gestational diabetes is a concern, but with control you and your baby will live long, healthy, happy lives.
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