Gestational diabetes during pregnancy:Symptoms and Medication

Diabetes occurs due to several problems. It is observed due to insufficient production of insulin in your body. Because insulin produced is used to handle the demands of food and sugars that enter your body. Diabetes may occur due to genes also due to environmental factors etc.

However recent studies state that diabetes may also occur in women during pregnancy. Diabetes in pregnancy is termed as gestational diabetes.

Every pregnant woman should undergo the diabetes test for assuring proper health of baby and mom. A woman who had never experienced diabetes ever before may develop high blood sugar levels during pregnancy diabetes. If the blood sugar of the mother stays high and unable to use the insulin produced so as to meet the demands during the pregnancy stage.

However, having high glucose levels or intolerable glucose raises concerns not only for the mother as well as for the baby. Suppose if your doctor finds gestational diabetes and plans a proper treatment then you will have a healthy pregnancy. IF you are having gestational diabetes there might be chances for developing the type 2 diabetes as well.

Gestational diabetes Symptoms:

Gestational diabetes mainly causes when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin from the food you eat. Insulin is required to transport your blood glucose into the cells. IF enough insulin hormones are produced your body build up too much blood glucose levels thereby leading the gestational diabetes problem.

An elevated level of glucose during pregnancy is caused due to hormones released through the placenta. The placenta produces or releases a growth hormone known as human placental lactogen (HPL). It helps the baby’s growth thereby modifying the mother metabolism activities. With the help of the HPL growth hormone, the baby is able to get enough nutrients required.

Below are the some of the risk factors for the occurence of gestational diabetes. They are:

  • Women especially who become pregnant after 25 years of age are likely to get the gestational diabetes.
  • Women with overweight may had the chances of getting the pregnancy diabetes.
  • Women with family history of diabetes may get.
  • Prediabetes may also occur in future.
  • If you had gestational diabetes in previous pregnancies there are more chances to like it in future pregnancies.

How gestational diabetes can be diagnosed?

Well, your doctor mostly the obstetrician/gynecologist are more likely to review the risk factors that might have, this is the routine part for testing gestational diabetes for pregnant women. Suppose your doctor finds higher glucose levels in the early pregnancy then he/she will immediately test your blood glucose levels.

If your blood glucose levels are normal in the 1st-trimester pregnancy then your doctor needs to recheck the glucose levels in the 2nd trimester also.

In order to diagnose gestational diabetes, your doctor needs to do the glucose tolerance test or a glucose challenge test. As part of this test, you need to consume 75 grams of glucose powder. No fasting is required. Then your blood sample is taken after two hours from the intake of glucose. Then only a woman with gestational diabetes issue can be easily diagnosed than a normal woman.

Your blood glucose levels are measured based on the blood sample taken after two hours.

The normal blood glucose levels for the women who carry the pregnancy.

Blood glucose levels should be < than 140 mg/dL. If your blood glucose levels are elevated at least once during the test than normal range than he confirms that you had gestational diabetes. In order to lower the risk of diabetes on you and your baby, you need to follow the doctor's guidelines. Keep in mind that if your blood sugar levels are not controlled you will give birth to the baby with more or overweight. It might not be good for the health of the baby.

Treating gestational diabetes patients:

Treating gestational diabetes patients is nothing but controlling sugar levels. The goal is to maintain control over the blood glucose levels so as to avoid complications during pregnancy. For solving the issue you need to plan a wise diet, physically active and take medications to control your blood sugar levels.

When you are having gestational diabetes you need to pay more attention to what to eat and when to eat. You should take a meal plan which is good for both the mom and baby. The diet plan is to control your glucose levels in the specified target range.

Also, do regular physical activity and exercise because when you are active much glucose is consumed. You can easily leverage your blood sugar levels when you are walking and doing regular exercise. Because your body will remain in an active state which requires less insulin.

You should keep your body always active by doing any sort of exercises just like walking but not sitting ideal.

Many of gestational diabetes can be controlled with the help of diet and physical exercises. But some may need medical help also. To control the blood sugar levels take proper medicine dosages which never leave an impact on your baby health.

Pregnant women with gestational diabetes are checked for normal delivery. They look at the size of the baby if the baby size is more vaginally delivery is not possible. In those cases, they help you to go through the cesarean C section. Your blood glucose levels should be monitored closely for having a healthy baby.

If gestational diabetes is uncontrolled may lead to complications for the baby before and after birth.

  • Your baby may having excessive growth where cesarean C section should be done.
  • Your baby will facing the low blood pressure issue.
  • Difficult for the baby to breath properly after coming out.
  • It also affects your child’s developmental problems.
  • The child may likely to have the type 2 diabetes in future.

After 6 weeks of delivery, you need to check with the blood glucose levels. To confirm whether the sugar levels are in the normal range. If not you may experience this issue in another pregnancy and can also lead to type 2 diabetes in future. So take proper care and medications if affected with gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Because it leads to severe complications for both mother and child in future also.

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