| What is Gestational Diabetes? | | Print | |
| Written by Julia Hanf | ||||
| Thursday, 27 March 2008 | ||||
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Gestational diabetes is when a pregnant woman who has never had diabetes develops diabetes in the twenty-fourth to twenty-eighth week of pregnancy. There are reportedly 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes every year in the United States. While it is a serious condition, women diagnosed with gestational diabetes can and do deliver healthy babies. With the proper medical care, a healthy diet, and controlled weight gain the risks of this type of diabetes are minimized. Between the twenty-fourth and twenty-eighth weeks of pregnancy, a health care provider will order testing to rule out gestational diabetes. There are two testing methods that can be used. Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (One Step): involves fasting for four to eight hours and measuring blood glucose levels. Then a sugar drink is consumed and the blood glucose is again measured after two hours. Two Step: involves drinking the high sugar drink first, then blood glucose is measured after one hour. A non-diabetic's level will be in the normal range within one hour. If the levels are high, the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test will then be performed. Experts do not know what causes gestational diabetes. Theories propose that the growing fetus creates hormones that obstruct the mother's capability to create enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels regular. Due to the transformations that her body is undergoing, she might require triple the amount of insulin as normal to get rid of the surplus glucose in her blood stream. The overload of glucose in the blood can be going to the fetus, by way of the placenta, causing a state called Macrosomia or plainly put, "fat baby". There can be risks involved for both the mother and her baby: To avoid possible injury to a macrosomic infant a caesarian section may be performed. The infant may experience low blood glucose levels. The infant may experience jaundice. The newborn may experience low mineral levels in their blood. The newborn may experience breathing trouble upon birth. The risk of obesity is higher for these children. The mother and her child stand at higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Future pregnancies are at higher risk of gestational diabetes. Finding and treating gestational diabetes is critical to prevent more serious risks. Implementing a healthy diet and a moderate exercise plan are also ways to prevent more serious risks from developing. Sensible exercise aids in keeping mother and fetus healthy by preventing weight gain from being too rapid and too excessive, which can lead to problems for the mother and fetus, both presently and in the future. Insulin needs to be taken as specified by the physician. Also prevent further risks by keeping a close eye on blood sugar levels. Gestational diabetes corrects itself on its own after delivery. The placenta is not making hormones that have an effect on the mother's capability to manufacture insulin. It is strongly urged to get another glucose test approximately six weeks after delivering to make certain that Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes was not mistakenly diagnosed as gestational diabetes. Also, having another test executed will also evaluate the possibility of getting Type 2 diabetes in the future. The risk of having Type 2 diabetes in women, who have had gestational diabetes, and their children, can be lessened by making changes in their eating and exercising habits. Obesity is the leading cause of Type 2 diabetes, but eating right and exercising and losing the excess weight can make all the difference. About the Author: Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit http://www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution for diabetes.                  Only registered users can write comments.  Add as favourites (0) |  Quote this article on your site | Views: 57
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