Gestational Diabetes

Gestational Diabetes – General Information

Gestational Diabetes (also known as Gestational diabetes mellitus, abbreviated GDM) is a medical condition which affects women who have not been previously diagnosed with diabetes and which, during pregnancy, have a high level of glucose in the blood.  Fortunately, this medical condition affects only 3-10% of the pregnancies. The exact cause of the appearance and development of Gestational Diabetes has not been identified yet, but the experts believe that the hormones which are produced during pregnancy lead to a decreased sensibility to insulin. This decreased sensibility to insulin leads to the high blood sugar levels. In most of the cases, this medical condition is asymptomatic or it has very few symptoms and it is usually diagnosed during a screening, but also the diagnostic tests show the high glucose levels in the blood samples. In most of the cases the children born by mother who suffer from this medical condition are at a high risk of developing complication such as growth abnormalities or chemical imbalances (like low blood sugar levels). If it is diagnosed in time, this disease is reversible and the women who try to control their glucose levels can decrease the risk of giving birth to a child which will develop complications, and they can give birth to a totally healthy baby. The women who are suffering from this medical condition are at a risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus after giving birth and the newborn are at a risk of developing childhood obesity and later in life they are also at a risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Gestational Diabetes) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from Gestational Diabetes or from any other medical disorder. Here is a list of the most common symptoms that a person who suffers from Gestational Diabetes, may experience: thirst, increased urination, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, yeast infection, blurred vision and bladder infection, excessive weight gain or excessive loss of weight, recurrent vaginal infections, kidney failure, heart disease, nerve damage.

Patients are experiencing fatigue, because the body does not use the glucose efficiently and because sometimes the organism is unable to use it properly. The excessive loss of weight develops because the people who are suffering from diabetes (no matter its type) are unable to process the calories from the food they eat. The excessive thirst (also known as polydipsia) appears when the body tries to counteract the high blood sugar levels by sending signals to the brain to dilute the blood, and the brain translates these signals into thirst.  The excessive urination (also known as polyuria) it is also a way of eliminating the excessive glucose but it is also a consequence of the polydipsia.  Other symptoms include: agitation, irritability, inattention, confusion, and lethargy.

Gestational Diabetes – Treatment

In order to keep the baby healthy it is very important for the future mother to control the blood sugar levels and to avoid as much as possible the complications which may appear during delivery. The personal health care provider or the doctor will recommend the patients who are suffering from Gestational Diabetes a treatment plan which has to include several important steps which will be dealt with in this chapter.

Blood sugar control – the doctors will tell the patients to check the blood sugar levels at least five times a day in order to be sure that the sugar levels are within a healthy rage. In order to do this test a drop of the patients’ finger will be taken and put on a test strip. The test strip will be inserted into a blood glucose meter which will automatically measure and display the blood sugar level.  The blood sugar levels will be also monitored during delivery, because if the blood sugar levels rise the baby usually releases a high level of insulin, which after the labor leads to low blood sugar levels.

Diet – the best way to control the blood sugar levels is to eat the right quantity of food, this usually means that the future mothers will have to eat more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, as these are very low in calories and are high in nutrition. The mothers which suffer from Gestational Diabetes are usually sent to a dietitian or to a diabetes educator in order to create a meal plan. When the doctor establishes the correct diet he is taking into consideration the following factors: blood sugar levels, height, weight, food preferences and exercise habits.

Exercises – the exercises are recommended because they lower the blood sugar levels by transporting the sugar into the body cells (because in the cells the sugar is used as energy). This is the reason why regular exercises help the mothers to prevent discomforts (such as muscle cramps, constipation, back pain, difficulty in sleeping) during pregnancy. The regularly exercises also help the mothers to prepare for the labor and delivery. The mothers which are not accustomed with regularly exercises and who have been inactive for a period of time are recommended to start by doing moderate exercises and then build up gradually. Mothers suffering from Gestational Diabetes usually prefer cycling, swimming and walking, but the daily house work is also important.

Medication – if the diet improvements and the regularly exercises are not enough then the patients with Gestational Diabetes need insulin injections in order to lower the blood sugar levels.