Archived Article From March 2007
Gestational Diabetes:
What is gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs only during
pregnancy. Out of every 100 pregnant women in the United States,
three to eight get gestational diabetes. Diabetes means that your
blood glucose is too high. Glucose is another word for sugar. Like
other forms of diabetes, gestational diabetes affects the way your
body uses glucose or sugar, which is the result of the food you eat.
Blood glucose is the fuel our bodies need to give us energy. But too
much glucose in your blood can be harmful. When you’re pregnant, too
much glucose is not good for the baby.
What causes gestational diabetes?Gestational diabetes is the result of some hormonal changes that
occur in all women during pregnancy. Changing hormones and weight
gain are a part of a healthy pregnancy. But these changes make it
hard for your body to keep up with its need for a hormone called
insulin. Your pancreas – a gland located just behind your stomach –
produces insulin continuously. The insulin “escorts” sugar into your
cells, providing your body with energy while maintaining a normal
level of sugar in your blood. During pregnancy, your placenta – the
organ that supplies your baby with nutrients through the umbilical
cord – produces hormones that prevent insulin from doing its job.
These hormones, which include estrogen, cortisol, and human
placental lactogen, are vital to preserving your pregnancy. Yet they
also make your cells more resistant to insulin. Normally, your
pancreas responds by producing enough extra insulin to overcome this
resistance. But you may need up to three times as much insulin as
normal, and sometimes your pancreas simply can’t keep up. When this
happens, too little glucose gets into your cells and too much stays
in your blood. This is gestational diabetes.
What puts a pregnant woman at risk for gestational diabetes?
The following increase your risk of developing diabetes during
pregnancy:
• Being overweight prior to becoming pregnant (if you are 20% or
more over your ideal body weight)
• Family history of diabetes (A parent or sibling that has diabetes)
• Being over 25 years of age
• If you have previously given birth to a baby over 9 pounds
• If you have previously given birth to a stillborn baby
• If you had gestational diabetes with a previous pregnancy
• If you have been told that you have “pre-diabetes”
• If you are African-American, American Indian, Asian American,
Hispanic/Latino, or Pacific Islander
How is gestational diabetes diagnosed?
Gestational diabetes is generally diagnosed between the 24th and
28th week of pregnancy when insulin resistance usually begins.
Your
doctor will ultimately decide when you need to be checked for
diabetes depending on your individual risk factors. If you are
considered high risk, you may be checked at your first prenatal
visit. If you have a normal test result you may be checked sometime
between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. If you have an average risk,
you will be tested at the normal 24 and 28th week of pregnancy. The
test involves drinking a sweetened liquid, which contains 50g of
glucose. A blood sample will be taken from a vein in your arm about
one hour after drinking the solution to test its measurement. A
blood sugar level below 140 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) is
usually considered normal on a glucose challenge test. Having a
blood glucose level above 140 mg/dl doesn’t necessarily mean you
have gestational diabetes. To confirm the diagnosis, you’ll need a
second test. For the follow-up test, you’ll be asked to fast
overnight. You’re then given another sweet solution to drink – this
one containing a higher concentration of glucose – and your blood
sugar levels are checked every hour for a period of three hours.
Having at least two instances of abnormally high blood sugar levels
confirms the diagnosis of gestational diabetes.
What will happen to me and my baby if I do have gestational
diabetes? Often, women with gestational diabetes have no symptoms. However,
gestational diabetes may increase your risk of high blood pressure
during pregnancy, and increase your risk of a large baby and the
need for a cesarean section at delivery. It is absolutely necessary
that you will need to monitor your blood glucose on a daily basis
and attend a diabetes education program, but treating gestational
diabetes can be controlled by using an effective meal plan, physical
activity, and insulin (if needed).
The good news is your gestational diabetes will probably go away
after your baby is born. Treating gestational diabetes involves
education about meal planning, having a plan for physical activity
(with your doctors permission), and possibly using medication. It is
very important that after the delivery of your baby at your six-week
post-partum check-up that a follow-up glucose tolerance test is done
to make sure the diabetes is gone.
If you receive the appropriate education, you will be less likely to
develop type 2 diabetes later in life.
Source: The Cleveland Clinic, the Mayo Clinic, National Diabetes
Information Clearinghouse, American Diabetes Association.
Talk with your health care team and remember
to go for regular check – ups.
Ask your doctor if you should take an aspirin daily.
For more information consult your healthcare provider, hospital or
diabetes educator nearest you which can be easily found on this
website.
Announcements
The Tri-County Diabetes Alliance
will sponsor and conduct several health education and outreach
programs addressing prevention of pre-diabetes and diabetes. This
will include presentations and free health screenings in a variety
of settings including schools, worksites, faith based communities,
and other community centers. Please check our
events calendar by clicking here .
Am I at Risk?
Take Our On-Line Risk Assessment by
clicking here
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