What is Gestational Diabetes?

Unlike type 1 or type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes is a medical condition that develops in a expectant mother during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes can resemble the symptoms of T2D in that it will change how your body’s cells can use sugar. While the mother’s blood glucose levels should return back to normal following the delivery of their newborn, research has shown that it does increase their risk for type 2 diabetes later in life.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are somewhere between 2 to 10 women who develop gestational diabetes out of every 100 that become pregnant. If you are living with this condition, then you should have a look at our diabetes clinical trial page after finishing this article.

Gestational Diabetes Also Puts the Baby at Risk

Unfortunately, it is not just the health of the mother that is in jeopardy when it comes to gestational diabetes. A mother who maintains a high blood glucose level through pregnancy and into labor could give birth to an abnormally large baby ( 9 pounds or more). This larger size can lead to complications during the delivery process, which could cause nerve damage in the child’s shoulder. In addition, these babies may have a higher risk of developing diabetes down the road.

What Causes Gestational Diabetes?

The Cleveland Clinic suggests that gestational diabetes is the result of hormonal fluctuations that every woman experiences during pregnancy. Increased levels of certain hormones present in the placenta can prohibit insulin’s ability to regulate blood sugar, resulting in a condition known as insulin resistance. The placenta is the organ which links the baby to the uterus (via the umbilical cord) and provides them with nutrients from the mother.

As the placenta grows in size over the course of the pregnancy, it continues to produce more hormones, which continue to build the level of insulin resistance. Normally, the mother’s pancreas is able to produce three times the usual amount of insulin in order to prevent this condition. When the pancreas doesn’t produce the right amount of insulin, blood glucose levels will rise, and that mother will develop gestational diabetes.

Risk Factors for Gestational Diabetes

If you are overweight prior to becoming pregnant, have a family history of diabetes, are older than 25, or have given birth to a 9+ pound baby, then you could be at risk for gestational diabetes. Most patients are diagnosed with gestational diabetes sometime between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy, according to the records of the Cleveland Clinic. This is the stage at which insulin resistance usually begins.

If you are worried about this medical condition, then an oral glucose tolerance test can be applied to screen for gestational diabetes. To run this test, the patient must consume 50 grams of sugar via a beverage. The sugar is absorbed into the body and will lead to an increased blood glucose level within the hour. Blood samples will be extracted from a vein in the arm a half hour after consuming the sweetened beverage. This provides a fairly clear view of how the body is able to process the sugar.

If you are an expectant mother who is diagnosed with gestational diabetes, there are a few steps that you can take in order to control it. The things that you’ll certainly want to remember are eating the right foods, getting regular exercise, and taking any medication that is prescribed by your doctor. Underlying medical conditions can complicate a pregnancy, but your doctor can help see you through.