What Does Gestational Diabetes Mean?

By Julia Hanf in Diabetes on March 27th, 2008

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by Julia Hanf

Gestational diabetes is when a pregnant woman who has never had diabetes develops diabetes in the twenty-fourth to twenty-eighth week of pregnancy. There are reportedly 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes every year in the United States. While it is a serious condition, women diagnosed with gestational diabetes can and do deliver healthy babies. With the proper medical care, a healthy diet, and controlled weight gain the risks of this type of diabetes are minimized.

Somewhere in the vicinity of the twenty-fourth and twenty-eighth weeks of pregnancy, a physician will request some testing to rule out the possibility of gestational diabetes. One of the following two testing techniques might be used. Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (One Step): entails going without food for four to eight hours and determining blood glucose levels. Then a drink that is high in sugar is consumed and the blood glucose is again determined after two hours. Two Step: entails consuming the high sugar drink first, then blood glucose is determined after one hour. A non-diabetic’s sugar will be in the normal parameters within one hour. If the levels are elevated, the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test will then be issued.

No one knows why gestational diabetes happens, but some speculations are that the fetus makes hormones that prevent the mother from making adequate amounts of insulin to maintain blood sugar levels. A pregnant woman’s body is undergoing change and can require up to three times the normal amount of insulin needed to control her blood sugar levels. Macrosomia can occur in the infant if the surplus of sugar is passed to them through the placenta.

Additional risks for the mother-to-be and her child are: A caesarian section may be needed to prevent endangering a macrosomic infant. Low blood glucose levels may exist in the baby. Jaundice may be present in the baby. There may be low levels of minerals in the baby’s blood. The baby may have trouble with breathing when born. Children born under these circumstances run higher risks of being overweight. Developing Type 2 diabetes is more common in the mothers and children. The risk of gestational diabetes in future pregnancies is higher.

In order to steer clear of risks to both mother and her fetus, gestational diabetes needs to be caught and dealt with promptly. A physician will recommend a nutritious diet and safe exercise plan. Moderating carbohydrate intake and exercise helps to control weight gain. An extreme weight increase leads to complications for the mother in addition to the instant and potential risks to the infant. If Insulin is required to manage blood glucose levels, the physician will explain how to take it. Keeping an eye on the blood glucose level is another way to steer clear of danger.

Gestational diabetes corrects itself on its own after delivery. The placenta is not making hormones that have an effect on the mother’s capability to manufacture insulin. It is strongly urged to get another glucose test approximately six weeks after delivering to make certain that Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes was not mistakenly diagnosed as gestational diabetes. Also, having another test executed will also evaluate the possibility of getting Type 2 diabetes in the future.

Women who have had gestational diabetes, and their children, can reduce the risk of having Type 2 diabetes later on by making alterations in their eating and exercising habits. Eating right and exercising are essential to losing weight; obesity is the leading cause of Type 2 diabetes.

About the Author:

Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution for diabetes.