Since pregnancy is an event of utmost importance, especially to women, it is never too late to get as much information as possible regarding the possible complications that might occur. One of such complications is diabetes developing during pregnancy (med. gestational diabetes). It is not uncommon for diabetes to occur during pregnancy, especially in women who had never had such health issues. When having facts and figures in mind, the rate is 2-7 in every 100 pregnant women.
The condition in question, as most of the people already know, occurs when, due to a lack of insulin, the blood sugar levels suddenly rise. Insulin itself is a hormone that enables our body to process the sugar and transform it into energy. In the course of pregnancy, numerous hormones block the otherwise common insulin process, for this is one of the ways that ensures your baby gets the sufficient amount of sugar. Therefore, your body must produce more insulin in order to compensate for these new occurrences.
This type of diabetes most often evolves in the second half of pregnancy, and disappears on its own after the birth of your baby. If this is not the case, then there is a possibility that the woman in question already had a developing form of type 1 diabetes. There also exists type 2 diabetes, which, once evolving in your body remains there permanently. Since this kind of diabetes rarely causes any evident symptoms, a sign could be some of the high blood sugar related symptoms, such as intense feeling of thirst, need to visit the bathroom more often than usual andexhaustion.
As far as complications are concerned, it should be noted that gestational diabetes doesn’t pose a treat to your health right from the start. But, on the other hand, uncontrolled diabetes during pregnancy enhances the risk of developing some other complications, such as pre-eclampsia, premature labor, concentration of too much fluid around your baby. In case you are suffering from this form of diabetes, the odds are that a caesarean delivery will be required. As a direct consequence, the risk of developing gestational diabetes in future pregnancies is much higher. Reflectingon possible implications that this can have on your baby, the first is that it may grow larger than usual, which makes the delivery especially difficult. Also, it is possible that your baby will have low blood sugar after being born. Because of this, it is highly recommended for every mom to breastfeed their newborn within 30 minutes of delivery, and thus aid in keeping baby’s blood sugar levels at a safe level.
Unfortunately, it is still to be determined why certain women develop this condition and others don’t. One thing is sure though, you are at a higher risk if gestational diabetes runs in family, if your previous baby was larger than usual (over 4.5 kg), if you suffer from obesity or are overweight or if you suffer from polycystic ovarysyndrome. The best starting point for treatment is a visit to your GP, who can then refer you to a clinic where this condition is treated with success. Also, there will probably be a need to go to antenatal appointments more often than women who don’t suffer from gestational diabetes. The most important thing is to control your blood sugar level.
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