DIABETES
Gestational Diabetes
What is Gestational Diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar that happens during pregnancy. High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) can cause health problems for the mother and the baby. With treatment, most pregnant patients can control their blood sugar and give birth to healthy babies. Blood sugar levels usually go back to normal after the baby is born.
What Causes Gestational Diabetes?
When you eat, blood sugar levels rise. Your pancreas (organ in the abdomen) responds by releasing insulin to help your body's cells absorb sugar to make energy for you to use.
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During pregnancy, the placenta makes other hormones that can interfere with this process. This leads to sugar staying in your blood instead of entering cells to be used for energy. The result of this is high blood sugar. Gestational Diabetes develops when the mother's body can't make enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels in a safe range.
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If you have had Gestational Diabetes during a previous pregnancy, you are at an increased risk of having it again in your future pregnancies. You are also more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes later on in life.
Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes
Most women do not experience symptoms from their Gestational Diabetes. If blood sugars are very high, the pregnant woman may experience feeling very thirsty or having blurred vision.
Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes
At 24-28 weeks of pregnancy, women are sent for a special test called an oral glucose tolerance test which involves drinking a sugary substance and then having blood drawn to see how your blood sugar reacts to this.
Treatment
It is important to treat Gestational Diabetes because when left untreated it can cause complications for both the pregnant patient and the unborn child such as:
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Preeclampsia (high blood pressure that occurs during pregnancy)
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Abnormal sugar level in baby
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Baby growing too large, increasing the need of a c-section
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More difficult birth and birthing injuries (due to baby's size)
Blood sugar control is the treatment for Gestational Diabetes. Some women are able to keep their sugars in target range with diet and exercise but many are required to take insulin for the remainder of their pregnancy.