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What is gestational diabetes?

By Rachel Lacourciere, edHelperBaby

  What is gestational diabetes?
           Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that only occurs during pregnancy and is easily detected during regular prenatal care.  During digestion, your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which is then absorbed into your bloodstream and eventually into your cells with the help of insulin.  Your pancreas continually produces insulin, providing your body with energy and maintaining a normal blood sugar level.  However, during pregnancy the placenta produces extra hormones that make your cells resistant to insulin.  Your pancreas responds by producing more insulin to create the necessary balance in order to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.  However, for women with gestational diabetes, their pancreata does not produce enough insulin; therefore, not enough glucose gets into their cells and instead remains in their bloodstream causing elevated sugar levels.  Fortunately, with gestational diabetes, blood sugar levels usually return to normal after delivery of the baby.

   

  Risk factors
           While any woman can develop gestational diabetes, some women may be at higher risk than others.  These risk factors include:
  • Age - Women who are older than 25 are at a greater risk.
  • Weight - Women who are overweight prior to becoming pregnant are at a greater risk.
  • Race - Women who are Black, Hispanic, American Indian, or Asian are at a greater risk.
  • Family history - Women who have a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes are at a greater risk.
  • Personal history - Women who have had gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy, delivered a baby who weighed more than nine pounds, or had an unexplained stillbirth are at a greater risk.

   

  Testing for gestational diabetes
           Most women are tested for gestational diabetes during their regularly scheduled prenatal appointment between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.  The test involves drinking a sugary glucose mixture and then having a blood sample taken one hour later to test a woman's current blood sugar level.  If the blood sugar level is found to be elevated, an additional test is usually taken as confirmation.  For the second test, again a sugary glucose mixture is drunk and blood is drawn every hour for a three-hour period.  If a woman's blood sugar level is found to be elevated for at least two of the three readings, she is then diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

   

  Managing gestational diabetes
           If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, there are ways to manage it and decrease any associated risks to you or your baby.  First and foremost, it is important to be aware of what you eat.  This means choosing foods that are low in fat and calories such as fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.  Second, exercising regularly under the guidelines of your doctor will assist in maintaining a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy.  Light activity ideas include thirty minutes of walking, riding a bike, or swimming.  Third, your doctor may prescribe insulin medication to help monitor the diabetes if changing your eating habits and exercise are not enough.

   


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