Understanding Gestational Diabetes

Understanding Gestational Diabetes is very important for those of you who have gestational diabetes. By knowing the gestational diabetes, you may be able to do things right to treatment and minimize the risk of bad on you and your baby.

Gestational diabetes is a condition where there is too much glucose (sugar) in the blood during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes usually develops in the third trimester (after 28 weeks) and usually disappears after the baby is born. However, pregnant women with gestational diabetes may be able to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

Glucose is a form of sugar that is present in many foods, including sweets, potatoes, pasta, and bread. The body uses glucose as a source of energy that is stored in the body's cells. The pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, insulin serves to move glucose from the blood into the cells of the body, thereby reducing the amount of glucose in the blood.

During pregnancy, placenta in your body produces a number of hormones (chemicals), such as estrogen, progesterone, and human placental lactogen (HPL). These hormones can interfere with the action of insulin, a condition known as "insulin resistance." Which means your cells respond less well to insulin and sugar levels in your blood increases.

If your blood sugar levels remain consistent increase during pregnancy, so that excess sugar can pass through the uterus to your unborn baby. It can increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the future to you and your child.

Certain factors that may cause pregnant women exposed to higher risk of gestational diabetes. These include:

• Overweight.
• Having gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy.
• Have a family history of diabetes.
• You have a history of high blood sugar - one of the parents or siblings have diabetes.
• You are older than 30 years old during pregnancy.
• have previously given birth to a very large.
• Ever had a miscarriage.
• Your family origin from the following ethnic groups: Mexican-American, American Indian, African-American, Hispanic / Latino, as well as individuals from Asia, India, or other Pacific islands.

Read more : Risk Factors for Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes are undiagnosed and untreated risk to the developing fetus. Your blood sugar consistently higher, so that the baby receives excessive sugar. If your unborn baby is exposed to high blood sugar levels while in the womb, the baby will eventually make their own extra insulin to handle the excess sugar. Insulin will allow fetal cells to take up glucose, where it will be converted into fat and stored. The baby would grow so large that it can not be born vaginally, but need to be delivered through a surgical procedure (cesarean section).

The surge of insulin made by the baby glucose resulted in the baby's bloodstream is reduced, because the baby is born is no longer accept glucose from the mother, the baby at risk of having low glucose levels (called hypoglycemia).

Usually the symptoms are not detected in pregnant women with gestational diabetes. Because gestational diabetes can be a high-risk infants, pregnant women should be screened which is a routine part of prenatal care. All pregnant women should be screened for gestational diabetes during their pregnancy. Screening can be done by taking medical history of women, examine certain risk factors, or screening with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Screening is usually done between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy. At this time in pregnancy, placental hormones have reached a level sufficient to cause insulin resistance.

Treatment for gestational diabetes will depend on the severity of diabetes. Mild forms can be treated with diet (reducing intake of sugar and fat, in particular). Many women who go on a diet to maintain a balanced caloric intake. Exercise is sometimes also used to keep blood sugar levels stay within the target range.

There is no known way to actually be able to prevent diabetes, gestational diabetes is mainly due to the effects of normal pregnancy hormones. However, the effects of insulin resistance can be treated through diet, avoiding excess weight, and participated in the exercise of reasonable.

Read : Signs and Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes