Thursday, May 30, 2013
Gestational Diabetes
It is estimated that 18% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes. The actual cause of gestational diabetes is unclear, but it seems that placental hormones prevent the mother’s insulin from being able to remove blood sugar (glucose) from her bloodstream. Consequently, high levels of glucose in the mother’s blood stream means that for her baby, too!
At 24 weeks of pregnancy, a blood test is done to check for gestational diabetes. If the mother is found to have it, she is to be placed on a special diet, exercise program, and taught how to test and regulate her blood sugar levels. Recently, a new blood test came out that can be done earlier in pregnancy to detect this disorder.
If gestational diabetes is not treated and controlled properly during pregnancy, the baby is at risk for delivery complications from large birth weight, low blood sugar & breathing difficulties at birth, and later for childhood obesity & adult onset diabetes.
It can be frightening to have gestational diabetes, but by working closely with a health care team to keep blood sugar levels stable, a healthy pregnancy is possible. Although gestational diabetes usually goes away after birth, it is common for it to return in subsequent pregnancies and seems to be associated with the development of adult onset diabetes (Type 2) later in life. However, by maintaining a healthy weight and diet, along with regular exercise, most are able to lower their risk of this occurring significantly!
Written by: Shelley Scheibel, RN, BSN
References:
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/how-to-treat-gestational.html
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