Your Guide to Understanding Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes or high blood sugar level condition that occurs during pregnancy. Usually diagnosed in the later stages of pregnancy, this condition stems from the various bodily changes occurring during pregnancy, predisposing the body to insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone formed by pancreatic cells and is responsible for metabolizing glucose which in turn creates energy. Insulin resistance leads to lower levels of insulin, in turn shooting up the glucose levels in one’s body.

Gestational diabetes affects around 6% of pregnancy cases worldwide, and the fact that makes it alarming is that it can create serious complications, not just for the woman, but also for the newborn.
Persistently high levels of glucose could cause the fetus to grow larger than normal or even lead to its death before or during birth. The newborn would be at a greater risk of jaundice, breathing issues, or low blood sugar.

Proper knowledge about the symptoms and treatment of gestational diabetes at the right time can however, save women from a lot of stress and trouble.

Risk Factors

As important as it is to know about gestational diabetes’ symptoms and treatment, you need to be aware of the contributing risk factors as well. There are certain factors that put women at a higher risk of suffering from gestational diabetes when pregnant. A few of these include –

• Obesity
• A case of pre-diabetes
• Record of types 2 diabetes in the family (parent or sibling)
• History of polycystic ovary syndrome
• A case of gestational diabetes in the previous pregnancy
• Age above 25 years

Oftentimes, ethnicity has also been considered to be one of the factors. As it seems, women of Asian American, African American, Indian American, or Hispanic origins are more predisposed to this disorder.

Symptoms

Gestational diabetes commonly does not have any apparent symptoms. The symptoms are either subtle or non-existent. Patients either ignore these symptoms or confuse them for the common side effects of pregnancy. These symptoms generally include – 

• Numbness or tingling sensation in the limbs
• Excessive thirst
• Blurry vision
• Frequent urination
• Excessive fatigue
• Slow healing sores

Screening

It is mostly around the 24th – 28th week of pregnancy that a diagnosis for gestational diabetes in pregnant women is prescribed.

There a few ways in which a woman can be tested for this ailment, the easiest one being a blood test. Another such test is the glucose tolerance test, wherein the patient is required to consume some sugary beverage an hour before some serum for the test is collected.

An oral glucose tolerance test can also be advised to detect gestational diabetes. The baseline blood glucose level of the individual is noted and then she is required to consume a sugary beverage. A couple of hours later, the blood glucose levels are again measured. If detected with a blood glucose level of 140 mg/dl or higher, the woman is diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Glycosylated hemoglobin, also known as the HbA1C test, is another medical assessment for this condition. 

Treatment options

Gestational diabetes is treatable and the treatment begins with making healthy choices. When suffering from this condition, women should focus on taking a balanced diet, but with limited carbohydrates. They should check their blood sugar level from time to time. Taking to light exercises regularly will also help their bodies use up insulin. In case of very high glucose levels in the blood, patients may even need to take insulin shots.

If you are showing and symptoms or have any doubts, consult a doctor to clear them away and get help in forming a healthier routine, so that you can get back to your normal way of life as soon as possible.