What is gestational diabetes?
Women may occasionally experience elevated blood sugar levels during pregnancy, but these usually go away after giving birth.Although it can develop at any stage of pregnancy, gestational diabetes usually manifests in the second half of the pregnancy.
This condition will be diagnosed and treated with the assistance of a specialist consultant obstetrician or endocrinologist.
What is the prognosis of gestational diabetes?
The health of the mother and the unborn child may be impacted by gestational diabetes, which typically goes away after giving birth. The likelihood of issues developing is decreased if it is identified early and treated. Furthermore, having gestational diabetes raises your chance of getting type 2 diabetes later in life.
This illness raises the possibility of:
- the need for induced labour or caesarean section
- the baby is born large during childbirth
- premature birth
- preeclampsia
- still birth
- the baby developing jaundice after birth
- polyhydramnios (excess of amniotic fluid)
Symptoms of gestational diabetes
Often there are no symptoms related to gestational diabetes, however, some women may experience the following if their blood sugar levels become too high (hyperglycaemia):
- dry mouth
- increased thirst
- frequent urges to urinate
- feeling tired
- blurred vision
Unfortunately, many of these symptoms are also typical of pregnancy itself.
Medical tests to diagnose gestational diabetes
An evaluation will be conducted to determine the risk of developing gestational diabetes during the first prenatal visit (8–12 weeks of pregnancy) if your BMI is higher than 30, if diabetes runs in your family, if you have experienced gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy, or if you are Asian, Middle Eastern, or African-Caribbean. In the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy, you will also undergo an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), which involves taking a blood sample both before and after consuming a glucose drink.
What are the causes of gestational diabetes?
Although the precise cause of gestational diabetes is still unknown, hormones are most likely to play a role. Human placental lactogen (hPL) and hormones that raise insulin resistance are released in greater quantities during pregnancy. Although these hormones protect your pregnancy, they can also cause insulin resistance, which raises blood sugar levels if it gets too strong.
Can gestational diabetes be prevented?
Whilst there is no guarantee in preventing gestational diabetes, you can decrease your risk by:
- losing weight before pregnancy if you are overweight or have a BMI of over 30
- staying active during pregnancy
- eating healthy food
Treatments for gestational diabetes
You will be instructed to use a testing kit to check your blood sugar levels both before and after meals if you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Additionally, dietary recommendations regarding foods that can help control blood sugar levels will be given to you. However, some women will also need insulin injections to regulate their blood sugar levels. In order to reduce the possibility of complications, women with this condition will also be closely monitored during their pregnancy.
Which type of specialist treats gestational diabetes?
Obstetricians, gynecologists, and endocrinologists would treat gestational diabetes.