The First Appearence Of Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes affects only pregnant women, who so far have displayed no signs of diabetes. It affects 3 to 10 percent of pregnant women, and shows no overt sign till a patient is diagnosed with high blood glucose levels.

Medical science is not aware of the precise cause of the disease. It is believed to be linked to the different hormones produced by the placenta during pregnancy. These increase a woman’s resistance to insulin resulting in diminished glucose tolerance. The glucose build-up is because the insulin cannot remove the glucose from the blood to the cells. To compensate, the pregnant woman may produce thrice her normal amount of insulin to cope with the high glucose level. Such a condition is known as insulin resistance.

The symptoms, when detected, follow the conventional pattern with frequent urination and excessive thirst, extreme hunger with unexplained weight loss, increased fatigue and irritability. Such women are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus post-pregnancy.

The babies of women diagnosed with gestational diabetes run the risk of being large, which might lead to complications during delivery. The babies might also suffer from low blood sugar and have jaundice. They are also liable to childhood obesity in later life, complicated by type 2 diabetes

Gestational diabetes is treatable with proper control of glucose levels, which diminish inherent risks. Generally treatment is a combination of diet modification and moderate exercise. In cases that do not respond, the patient may be prescribed anti-diabetic drugs and possibly insulin.

Gestational pregnancy generally resolves itself after the baby is born. If the woman becomes pregnant within a year of her delivery, the chances of the condition repeating are high.

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The First Appearence Of Gestational Diabetes