23 Oct What Is Gestational Diabetes & How Can Women Cope With It

Pregnancy can be an electrifying experience in a woman’s life. However, ironically, it is also related with numerous challenges. One major challenge is thwarting gestational diabetes.

What is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is a distinctive type of diabetes that occurs when a lady is pregnant. Approximately four percent of all pregnant females are affected by gestational diabetes. The ailment is caused when the body is unable to appropriately process insulin, instigating high levels of blood sugar, very similar to type 2 diabetes. It generally occurs during the second trimester and often vanishes after the baby is born. If left untreated, gestational diabetes during pregnancy can cause damage to the fetus as well as to the mother.

What Triggers Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes begins when a female’s body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy because of hormonal vicissitudes caused by pregnancy. During pregnancy, hormones from the placenta help the baby grow and mature. But these same hormones make it harder for the female’s body to use insulin, creating insulin resistance. In most circumstances, this isn’t a problem: as the need for insulin upsurges, the pancreas intensifies its production. But when a pregnant lady’s pancreas can’t keep up with the insulin demand and blood glucose levels get excessively high, the outcome is gestational diabetes.

Who Is At Risk For Gestational Diabetes?

A lady may be at risk for gestational diabetes if she is:

• above 25 years of age,
• has a family history of type 2 diabetes,
• experienced gestational diabetes during an earlier pregnancy,
• is overweight,
• had a previous pregnancy occasioning in unexplained miscarriage or an infant with a birth weight over nine pounds; or
• is of African ancestry, Hispanic or Native American.

Symptoms

Expectant mommies who have gestational diabetes might experience increased thirst, weariness, extreme urination and other symptoms similar to diabetes mellitus. Regrettably, those same symptoms are normal for any pregnancy. As in pre-diabetes, gestational diabetes often has no symptoms of any kind. The lady’s blood sugar should be tested recurrently by the prenatal medical team and at home, particularly if she is considered at risk.

How Can You Prevent Gestational Diabetes?

Preventing gestational diabetes generally encompasses keeping your blood glucose levels on a tight rein. For this, the first step is to know whether or not you are at the risk of suffering with gestational diabetes. Work out on a regular basis and ensure that your lead an active and healthy lifestyle. For pregnant females, a good exercise program includes light to moderate workouts for at least 30 minutes a day and three days per week. And finally, strictly abide by a suitably designed diabetes diet plan. For further information don’t forget to consult an experienced gynecologist like Dr. Anjali Kumar.