Diabetes Information > Introduction To Diabetes > Gestational Diabetes And Pregnancy

Gestational Diabetes And Pregnancy

Gestational Diabetes affects pregnant women only. You may not have had pregnancy previously, yet you may develop it during advanced stages of pregnancy. About 2%-3% of pregnant women suffer from it. Gestational diabetes doesn’t set before second stage of pregnancy. It generally goes away on its own after the baby is born. This is the best part of this type of diabetes. It is temporary whereas all other types of diabetes are permanent.

 

There is no medical clear reason as to why some women suffer from diabetic pregnancy. However it has been proved that the chances of diabetic pregnancy are more if you are over 35 years of old when you are pregnant, are overweight or have a family history of Type 2 diabetes. You are also more prone to diabetes if your earlier baby was rather large in size or was abnormal or was still born.

 

Pregnant women get Gestational diabetes because during pregnancy your body cannot produce sufficient insulin.  If your pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin then the sugar that you consume doesn’t convert to energy. Thus there is a low level of energy and this along with the special demands of the baby makes you dull and irritable and you are always tired and drawn out.

 

When the sugar level in you blood is high because it could not be converted to energy then this high sugar blood goes through the placenta to your baby also. Obviously this leads to health problems.

 

Generally speaking you don’t suffer from any symptoms of gestational diabetes. Some of you may pass urine more frequently, feel thirstier, but all this keep happening anyway when you are pregnant. So the symptoms may be overlooked by you.

 

In case your blood glucose level is high the doctor may prescribe insulin for you. You may have to take injections of insulin. However don’t be afraid of it. Insulin taken during pregnancy doesn’t cross the placenta and enter the child’s body. At times it may happen that you have taken too much of insulin than required, and then you may experience shaking, hunger, weakness and sweating. Hence you must immediately eat something to raise the glucose level of your blood.

 

The main problem you may have to face when you have diabetic pregnancy or gestational diabetes is that your baby may become very large. This may cause you trouble at the time of delivery and it may become necessary to go for a caesarean operation.

 

The baby may be born with low blood sugar because his pancreas produces high level insulin which it did when the baby was in the womb. Hence at times babies are given a drip of glucose to normalize the low blood sugar. The baby may get jaundice which fades away after a few weeks on its own.

 

It is important to manage the glucose level of the baby when he is born. In later life the baby may be at a higher risk of contacting diabetes type 2. But generally speaking you need not fret if you have gestational diabetes. It is only a minor hiccup in pregnancy.