Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy : Symptoms, Risks and Information

by Gestational Diabetes Research


Posted on 06-02-2020 05:24 PM



How Your Healthcare Provider Can Help You During Your Pregnancy

Seeing your healthcare provider before you try for a baby will help ensure you are healthy enough to carry a child. Your healthcare provider can assist you in numerous ways by assessing your family health history and the health history of your partner. diabetes They can check your immunizations are up-to-date and that any medical conditions are well-controlled. Your doctor can talk to you about whether to increase or start taking various vitamins, for example, folic acid. They can also discuss general health with you, for example making sure you are a healthy weight, will provide information about which foods to eat and which to avoid during pregnancy, and can help you avoid alcohol, smoking, and drugs.

Service providers (in primary and secondary care) ensure that they have systems and processes in place so that women with diabetes who are planning a pregnancy are prescribed 5 mg/day folic acid from at least 3 months before conception. Healthcare professionals (gps, community midwives and healthcare professionals in joint diabetes and antenatal care teams) ensure that they prescribe 5 mg/day folic acid for women with diabetes who are planning a pregnancy, from at least 3 months before conception. Healthcare professionals also ensure that they advise women with diabetes who are planning a pregnancy about the benefits of taking high-dose folic acid as part of preconception counselling.

Plan your pregnancy so healthcare providers can help you have a healthy pregnancy and baby. Control your blood sugar levels before and during pregnancy to decrease your risk of health problems. Your diabetes care team provider may recommend a1c levels less than 6. 5% before you get pregnant. During pregnancy, your a1c levels may need to be between 6 and 7%.

What is gestational diabetes?

Most women who develop diabetes in pregnancy have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. Occasionally, gestational diabetes can cause problems like: your baby being bigger than usual, which may lead to complications during birth and so increases the likelihood of an induced labour or caesarean. Too much amniotic fluid around your baby ( polyhydramnios ). It may cause your baby to be born prematurely. pregnancy You may develop pre-eclampsia – a condition that causes high blood pressure during pregnancy and can cause pregnancy complications if not treated.

This free app is intended for pregnant women with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes, and for women that develop gestational diabetes during their pregnancy. The app is also intended for diabetic women who wish to become pregnant. The content is created based on the recommendations of the centre for pregnant women with diabetes at rigshospitalet in copenhagen. All content in this app has been written by chief physician, consultant at the department of endocrinology, professor elisabeth r. Mathiesen and chief physician, consultant in obstetrics clinic, professor peter damm. Both have many years of experience in research and treatment of pregnancy and diabetes.

Gestational diabetes is first diagnosed during pregnancy. Like type 1 and type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes causes blood sugar levels to become too high. When you eat, your digestive system breaks down most of the food into a sugar called glucose. Glucose enters your bloodstream so your cells can use it as fuel. With the help of insulin (a hormone made by your pancreas), muscle, fat, and other cells absorb glucose from your blood. But if your body doesn't produce enough insulin, or if the cells have a problem responding to it, too much glucose remains in your blood instead of moving into cells and getting converted to energy.

 

Am I at risk of developing gestational diabetes?

First, a few things you need to know about gestational diabetes so that you can understand what gestational diabetes blood sugar levels mean. Gestational diabetes is diabetes that is found for the first time when a woman is pregnant. Diabetes means that your blood sugar levels are too high. You body uses glucose for energy, but too much glucose in your blood is harmful for both you and your baby while you are pregnant. There is also evidence that women that have gestational diabetes are at higher risk for developing pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes later in life. This may be because pregnancy puts stress on your body and can bring out vulnerabilities.

Any woman can develop gestational diabetes, but some women are at greater risk. Risk factors for gestational diabetes include: age greater than 25. Women older than age 25 are more likely to develop gestational diabetes. Family or personal health history. Your risk of developing gestational diabetes increases if you have prediabetes — slightly elevated blood sugar that may be a precursor to type 2 diabetes — or if a close family member, such as a parent or sibling, has type 2 diabetes. You're also more likely to develop gestational diabetes if you had it during a previous pregnancy, if you delivered a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds (4. 1 kilograms) or if you had an unexplained stillbirth.

Fortunately, you can manage gestational diabetes to decrease your chances of complications during pregnancy. But when left untreated, the condition can increase your risk for a heavier baby (greater than 9 lbs) and a harder delivery, sometimes requiring cesarean section. Women with gestational diabetes also have an increased risk for high blood pressure and swelling, as well as excess amniotic fluid, which can lead to a premature birth. Gestational diabetes can also increase the chances of you and your baby developing type 2 diabetes in the future. It can increase the risk of your child becoming obese in early adulthood as well.

What are the symptoms of gestational diabetes?

There are two primary types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that requires daily use of insulin. Symptoms of type 1 may include increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and extreme fatigue. Often diagnosed in childhood and in young adults, this type of diabetes accounts for about 5 to 10% of diagnosed cases in the united states. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for about 90-95% of diabetes cases in the united states. Symptoms of type 2 include bladder or kidney infections that heal slowly, increased thirst and urination, constant hunger and fatigue. This form of diabetes is often associated with older age, obesity, family history, previous history of gestational diabetes , physical inactivity, and it can be more prevalent in certain ethnic groups.

You may have been shocked to find out that you have gestational diabetes – many women have no noticeable symptoms. As some of the signs of diabetes are like symptoms experienced in pregnancy anyway, most cases are diagnosed during screening for gestational diabetes. This is called an oral glucose tolerance test, also known as an ogtt. The ogtt is done when you’re between 24-28 weeks pregnant. If you’ve had gestational diabetes before, you’ll be offered an ogtt as soon as possible after your booking appointment, and another ogtt between 24-28 weeks if the first test result is normal.

You probably won’t notice any symptoms of gestational diabetes because it’s usually diagnosed in a routine screening test before any develop. But if it isn’t picked up in tests, you may develop symptoms. For example, you may: feel thirsty and drink more than usual go to the toilet more often (to wee) feel extremely tired these symptoms can be quite common if you’re pregnant so they aren’t always caused by gestational diabetes. But if you have them, tell your midwife or gp.

What's the treatment for gestational diabetes?

The key is to act quickly. As treatable as it is, gestational diabetes can hurt you and your baby. Treatment aims to keep your blood sugar levels normal. It can include special meal plans and regular physical activity. It can also include daily blood sugar testing and insulin injections. We suggest the following target for woman testing blood sugar levels during pregnancy: before a meal– 95 mg/dl or less one hour after a meal–140 mg/dl or less two hours after a meal–120 mg/dl or less always remember that this is treatable—and working with your health care team can help ensure a healthy pregnancy.

If you choose to receive your prenatal care from any other obstetrician, we provide: an informal class for patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (gdm). In the class, we explain what gdm is, what risks it poses to both a mother and baby, and recommended treatment. Individual sessions with our diabetes nurse-educators to learn how to test your own blood glucose levels using a glucometer. Individual sessions to learn how to prepare and give yourself an insulin injection.

A world-renowned researcher’s seven tips for expectant mothers with type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes by lynn kennedy and ava runge dr. Lois jovanovič has a long and storied career in diabetes treatment and research, and her tireless efforts have revolutionized many views on pregnancy and diabetes. Her work centers on a key point: women with any type of diabetes can deliver healthy babies as long as the appropriate measures are taken to tightly manage blood sugar during pregnancy. Dr. Jovanovič’s trail-blazing research proved this point, starting early in her career with a small, first-of-its-kind study in ten pregnant women with diabetes. All ten delivered healthy babies, which 36 years ago was groundbreaking, given the accepted medical opinion that diabetes – and not high blood sugar – caused complications.

How does gestational diabetes affect pregnancy?

Reviewed by melinda maryniuk, med, rdn, cde, fada 20 november, 2019 gestational diabetes is a kind of diabetes that affects pregnant women. Here's what you need to know about normal blood sugar levels during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that affects some pregnant women. It causes persistently high blood sugar levels, which can harm the health of both the mom-to-be and the fetus. The good news is there are a number of ways to manage this condition and avoid health complications.

Gestational diabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar levels become high during pregnancy. It affects up to 10% of women who are pregnant in the u. S. Each year. There are two classes of gestational diabetes. Women with class a1 can manage it through diet and exercise. Those who have class a2 need to take insulin or other medications. Gestational diabetes goes away after you give birth. But it can affect your baby’s health, and it raises your risk of getting type 2 diabetes later in life. You can take steps so you and your baby stay healthy.

Diabetes mellitus is the most common medical complication of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes mellitus (gdm) represents approximately 90% of these cases and affects 2–5% of all pregnancies and varies in direct proportion to type 2 diabetes mellitus in the background population. [ 1 ] pre-existing diabetes mellitus complicates 0. 2% to 0. 3% of pregnancies. [ 2 ] the importance of diabetes in pregnancy stems from the fact that it carries a significant risk to both the foetus and the mother. Despite major advances in clinical management, we are still facing a higher incidence of malformations and perinatal morbidity compared to the non-diabetic population.

How can I have a healthy pregnancy with gestational diabetes?

Eating well is an important way to stay healthy for all women in pregnancy. But if you have gestational diabetes (gd), choosing the right food is especially important. When you eat, your digestive system breaks most of your food down into a type of sugar called glucose. Glucose is one of your body’s main sources of energy. Glucose enters your bloodstream and then, with the help of insulin (a hormone made by your pancreas), your cells use the glucose as fuel.

This is a type of diabetes that is first seen in a pregnant woman who did not have diabetes before she was pregnant. Often gestational diabetes can be controlled through eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Sometimes a woman with gestational diabetes must also take insulin. For most women with gestational diabetes, the diabetes goes away soon after delivery. When it does not go away, the diabetes is called type 2 diabetes. Even if the diabetes does go away after the baby is born, half of all women who had gestational diabetes develop type 2 diabetes later. It’s important for a woman who has had gestational diabetes to continue to exercise and eat a healthy diet after pregnancy to prevent or delay getting type 2 diabetes. She should also remind her doctor to check her blood sugar every 1 to 3 years.

Gestational diabetes is usually diagnosed through a blood test 24–28 weeks into pregnancy. Women who are at high risk for type 2 diabetes should be screened at less than 20 weeks of pregnancy. The good news is that getting screened for gestational diabetes and keeping your blood sugar level in control means you can expect to have a happy, healthy baby.

When should I call the doctor if I have gestational diabetes?

Your first antenatal appointment is around weeks 8 to 12 of your pregnancy. Your midwife or doctor will ask you some questions to determine whether you're at an increased risk of gestational diabetes. If you have one or more risk factors for gestational diabetes, (see who's at risk, above), you should be offered a screening test. The screening test used is called an oral glucose tolerance test (ogtt). This usually takes about two hours. It involves having a blood test taken in the morning when you've had nothing to eat or drink overnight (you can usually drink water, but check with the hospital if you're unsure). You're then given a glucose drink.

You’ve probably noticed by now that your doctor asks for a urine sample at every office visit. That’s in part to check for sugar in your urine, which can be a sign of gestational diabetes (though one positive screening doesn’t necessarily mean you have gestational diabetes). In addition, the u. S. Government now recommends that all pregnant women be screened specifically for gestational diabetes. Around week 28 of pregnancy, your practitioner will give you a glucose screening test , where you'll drink a sugary liquid and have your blood drawn an hour later. If your bloodwork picks up high sugar levels, your doctor will have you take a three-hour glucose tolerance test to determine whether you have gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes is a temporary (in most cases) form of diabetes in which the body does not produce adequate amounts of insulin to regulate sugar during pregnancy. It may also be called glucose intolerance or carbohydrate intolerance. Signs and symptoms can include: sugar in urine (revealed in a test done in your doctor’s office) unusual thirst frequent vaginal, bladder, and skin infections.

Gestational Diabetes and Pregnancy

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. The endocrine changes caused by pregnancy can cause elevations in an expectant mother’s blood sugar. Sometimes her body can't process the excess sugar. Gestational diabetes impacts 2 to 10 percent of expectant mothers. Untreated gestational diabetes can lead to problems during pregnancy, during delivery and beyond. Babies can be larger than expected. Moms can be at a higher risk for cesarean delivery and preterm birth, and both have an increased risk of developing diabetes in the future.

In the uk it is common to use metformin for gestational diabetes where dietary and lifestyle changes are not enough to lower and stabilise blood sugar levels. It is widely used to help lower fasting blood sugar levels as well as post meal levels. Metformin is an oral medication in tablet form. It is used in diabetics to help the body use insulin better by increasing how well the insulin works. In pregnancy it can be used in women who have diabetes before becoming pregnant (type 2 diabetes) and in women who develop diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes). Metformin is also used for other conditions too, commonly used in those that have pcos (polycystic ovarian syndrome).

Diabetes is the most common pre-existing medical disorder complicating pregnancy in the uk. Up to 5% of women giving birth in england and wales have either pre-existing diabetes or gestational diabetes[ 1 ]. The number of people with type 1 diabetes and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes amongst women of child-bearing age are increasing. Pregnancies of women with diabetes are regarded as high-risk for both the woman and the baby[ 2 ]. Of women who have diabetes during pregnancy, it is estimated that approximately 87. 5% have gestational diabetes, 7. 5% have type 1 diabetes and the remaining 5% have type 2 diabetes[ 1 ].