Gestational Diabetes

The facts about gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a consequence of pregnancy in women who were already susceptible to developing diabetes. Around 4 percent of pregnant women develop symptoms of gestational diabetes, including thirst, a need to urinate frequently, and sugar in the urine.

If you present these symptoms to your doctor, you will probably be sent to have a glucose test. This test will confirm or rule out gestational diabetes.

Who Is at Risk of Getting Gestational Diabetes?

The highest risk factor for developing diabetes during pregnancy is having a family history of diabetes (of any kind, not just gestational). Also, if you were overweight before you became pregnant or had gestational diabetes during an earlier pregnancy, you are also at elevated risk. Finally, certain ethnic groups – notably African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians – have a higher risk, for unknown reasons.

However, not every woman that develops gestational diabetes was at high risk to do so. Also, women who get diabetes during pregnancy are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

The causes of gestational diabetes are unknown. One theory suggests that, while the baby is growing, hormones from the placenta limit the action of the insulin produced by the mother. This creates insulin resistance, and makes it difficult for the mother’s body to utilize insulin. The body, unable to convert glucose into energy, pushes the extra glucose into the urine, and also through the placenta into the fetus.

Managing Gestational Diabetes

Women who develop gestational diabetes need to keep a handle on their blood sugar levels. This can be accomplished with insulin and, if necessary, with the help of a gestational diabetes diet plan. The latter is probably the most commonly used way to control diabetes during pregnancy.

A gestational diabetes diet will involve high-fiber foods such as bread, pasta, rice, fruits and vegetables. You should limit your intake of simple sugars, as well as your fats, and make sure you distribute your carbohydrates evenly throughout the day.

In later pregnancy, gestational diabetes diet plans may reflect the oncoming birth. Women with diabetes often have difficult labor, as babies born to diabetic women frequently suffer from macrosomia, or “fat baby” syndrome, where the infant produces more insulin to cope with excess glucose passing through the mother’s placenta. An infant may also suffer from low blood sugar levels, and develop breathing problems. In later life they are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes or become obese.