Diabetes During Pregnancy - Facts And Tips

Diabetes during pregnancy is also called gestational diabetes. It is a condition that happened when a pregnant woman has too much glucose in her blood system. Blood sugar level can go up if your body is not producing enough insulin. Insulin makes sure that the body muscles absorb the blood sugar and produce energy and also helps the body to store blood sugar that is in excess.

When a woman is expecting, the body has to produce a lot of insulin especially during mid-pregnancy to delivery. It’s because the body needs more insulin as some hormones found in the placenta make the body immune to insulin – less responsive. In case your body does not meet the high demand of insulin, your blood sugar level will shoot up.

If the condition is not treated, high glucose levels in your blood can be dangerous to the baby and the mother. Diabetes during pregnancy is common and it affects one in every 6 expecting women. The good part is that it goes away after delivery – it is different from type-1 and type-2 diabetes.

There are no sure ways to prevent gestational diabetes, but there are few things you can do that can reduce the risks of developing it. The first thing to ensure is that you eat healthy. It is recommended that you plan your meals well making sure your diet does not have a lot of carbohydrates.

You should make sure that you exercise a lot in addition to eating healthy. This helps a lot in maintain the blood glucose levels. There are a number of safe exercises that you can engage yourself when you are pregnant: walking, swimming and yoga. You should also keep your weight gain medically safe.

How do you tell if you have developed gestational diabetes? You may be offered some clinical tests that can help to tell if the sugar levels are above normal. In some places there are random tests that are done the midwife suspect there are signs of the condition. There are, however, conditions that increase the chances of developing gestational diabetes:

1. You a have a body mass index of more than 30.
2. You come from a family that is prone to gestational diabetes.
3. You had a baby that weighed more than 4.5kg before.
4. If you had gestational diabetes during your previous pregnancies.

The most common test that is done is called the oral glucose tolerance test and it is conducted between 24 to 28th week of the pregnancy. The test is conducted in a special clinic. The night and morning before the test is done, you will only have to take water and take no food. The test is conducted on a blood sample.

Gestational period has no specific symptoms, but you should consult your doctor if you experience the following during your pregnancy: a dry mouth, blurred vision, feeling tired after doing nothing, experiencing recurring infections, if you get very thirsty and you frequent a lot to the toilet to urinate.
Studies have shown that if you develop gestational diabetes, chances are that you will develop type-2 diabetes. You should talk with your doctor on ways to ensure that you control your blood sugar.

We hope that these tips and facts about diabetes during pregnancy were helpful for you. For more information regarding this issue you can check the video below.

We wish you the best!