Gestational Diabetes


What is gestational diabetes?

It has been noticed that Many  pregnant women develop transitional  diabetes symptoms ,specially women associated with  risk factors .
Gestational diabetes mellitus is a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. Your body cannot produce enough insulin to handle the effects of a growing baby and changing hormone levels. Insulin helps your body to control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood. If your body cannot produce enough insulin, your blood glucose (sugar) levels will rise.

Myths 


  • Your baby will be born with diabetes.
  • Gestational diabetes can not  be managed and you can expect to have a happy, healthy baby.

What will happen to baby

If left undiagnosed or untreated, gestational diabetes can lead to high blood glucose (sugar) levels. This increases the risk that  baby will overweight  and will have a difficult delivery. Gestational diabetes can also increase the risk of baby becoming overweight and developing type 2 diabetes in the future.So all pregnant women should get screened 
Who Is On risk ? 
if some one is 
  • 35 years of age or older
  • From a high-risk group (Aboriginal, Hispanic, South Asian, Asian and African)
  • Obese (BMI of 30kg/m2 or higher)
  • Giving birth to a baby that weighed more than four kilograms (nine pounds)
Using:
  • Corticosteroid medication
Having:
  • Prediabetes
  • Gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy
  • A parent, brother or sister with type 2 diabetes
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or acanthosis nigricans (darkened patches of skin)

How is gestational diabetes managed?

Choose a healthy diet

Enjoy foods from all four of the food groups and spread out your foods by eating smaller meals and snacks. This will help you manage your blood glucose (sugar) levels and provide the best nutrition for you and your growing baby.

Achieve a normal pregnancy weight gain

The amount of weight you gain will vary depending on your weight before your pregnancy. Weight loss is not recommended. Talk to your health-care provider about appropriate weight gain for you.

Be physically active

Regular physical activity can help control your blood glucose (sugar) levels. It can also help you:
  1. Boost your energy
  2. Sleep better
  3. Reduce stress
  4. Reduce pregnancy discomfort
  5. Prepare for childbirth
  6. Get your body back faster after childbirth
Talk to your health-care provider about the right type and amount of activity for you.

Check your blood glucose at home

Checking your blood glucose (sugar) with a blood glucose (sugar) meter will help you and your health-care team manage your gestational diabetes.

Take insulin, if needed

Sometimes healthy eating and physical activity are not enough to manage blood glucose (sugar) levels and your health-care provider may recommend insulin injections for the duration of your pregnancy. Insulin will help keep your blood glucose (sugar) level within your target range. This will help to keep you and your baby in good health.

Diabetes is complicated, but in a nutshell it means some one  have abnormally high levels of sugar in her  blood. Here's what happens:
 type of diabetes that some women get during pregnancy. Between 2 and 10 percent of expectant mothers develop this condition, making it one of the most common health problems of pregnancy.
When We eat, our  digestive system breaks most of your food down into a type of sugar called glucose. The glucose enters your bloodstream and then, with the help of insulin (a hormone made by your pancreas), your cells use the glucose as fuel. However, if your body doesn't produce enough insulin – or your cells have a problem responding to the insulin – too much glucose remains in your blood instead of moving into the cells and getting converted to energy.
When you're pregnant, hormonal changes can make your cells less responsive to insulin. For most moms-to-be, this isn't a problem: When the body needs additional insulin, the pancreas dutifully secretes more of it. But if your pancreas can't keep up with the increased insulin demand during pregnancy, your blood glucose levels rise too high, resulting in gestational diabetes.
Most women with gestational diabetes don't remain diabetic after the baby is born. Once you've had gestational diabetes, though, you're at higher risk for getting it again during a future pregnancy and for developing diabetes later in life.

Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes 

Gestational diabetes usually has no symptoms. That's why almost all pregnant women have a glucose-screening test between 24 and 28 weeks.
However, if you're at high risk for diabetes or are showing signs of it (such as having sugar in your urine), your caregiver will recommend this screening test at your first prenatal visit and then repeat the test again at 24 to 28 weeks if the initial result is negative.
By the way, if you get a positive result on a glucose-screening test, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have gestational diabetes. It does mean that you'll need to take a longer follow-up test  to find out.
Diabetes is complicated, but in a nutshell it means you have abnormally high levels of sugar in your blood. Here's what happens:
When you eat, your digestive system breaks most of your food down into a type of sugar called glucose. The glucose enters your bloodstream and then, with the help of insulin (a hormone made by your pancreas), your cells use the glucose as fuel. However, if your body doesn't produce enough insulin – or your cells have a problem responding to the insulin – too much glucose remains in your blood instead of moving into the cells and getting converted to energy.
When you're pregnant, hormonal changes can make your cells less responsive to insulin. For most moms-to-be, this isn't a problem: When the body needs additional insulin, the pancreas dutifully secretes more of it. But if your pancreas can't keep up with the increased insulin demand during pregnancy, your blood glucose levels rise too high, resulting in gestational diabetes.
Most women with gestational diabetes don't remain diabetic after the baby is born. Once you've had gestational diabetes, though, you're at higher risk for getting it again during a future pregnancy and for developing diabetes later in life.
Why All pregnant women should get screened ?
Gestational diabetes usually has no symptoms. That's why almost all pregnant women have a glucose-screening test between 24 and 28 weeks.
However, if you're at high risk for diabetes or are showing signs of it (such as having sugar in your urine), your caregiver will recommend this screening test at your first prenatal visit and then repeat the test again at 24 to 28 weeks if the initial result is negative.
By the way, if you get a positive result on a glucose-screening test, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have gestational diabetes. It does mean that you'll need to take a longer follow-up test  to find out.

What Puts you on greater risk 

According to the American Diabetes Association and Canadian Diabetes associations  One is considered at high risk for this condition  if person is 
  •  obese (your body mass index is over 30).
  •  had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy.
  •  have sugar in your urine.
  •  have a strong family history of diabetes ( Like Immediate Siblings or one of the parent is diabetic 
For Further information about diabetes please visit Candian Diabetes associations Website www.diabetes.ca



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