The Pregnancy Chronicles Pt 3: Gestational Diabetes

Gestational Diabetes, what it is and how to avoid it.

What is Gestational Diabetes?

Diabetes is when an individual has increased levels of blood sugar that results in insulin not being released or used efficiently. Gestational diabetes is when there are elevated levels of blood sugar in a pregnant woman who was not diabetic to begin with.

When does it happen?

Gestational Diabetes typically occurs between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy but can occur earlier.

Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes:

- Fatigue

- Blurred vision

- Excessive need to urinate

- Excessive thirst

- Snoring

Common causes of gestational diabetes

Hormones are likely the cause of gestational diabetes. However, there is no specific reason why women develop this disease. Any hormone that increases your resistance to insulin (the hormone that regulates blood sugar) and human placental lactogen are chiefly responsible for the development of gestational diabetes.

The role of Insulin

Insulin is the hormone that is responsible for moving sugar from your blood to your cells to be used as energy. During pregnancy, the body will naturally become slightly insulin resistant so that the sugar in the blood can be moved to the baby and not mom’s cells. This is part of the reason why fatigue is such a big part of early pregnancy. When insulin resistance becomes too strong, the body will have excess levels of blood sugar, and gestational diabetes will set in.

Who is at risk of developing gestational diabetes?

Women who:

- Have high blood pressure

- Are over the age of 25

- Are overweight before they become pregnant

- Gaining too much weight while pregnant

- Having twins or triplets

- Have had high birth weight babies in the past

- Previous history of gestational diabetes

- Having polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or acanthosis nigricans or any - Other condition that is linked to insulin resistance

- Being of Hispanic, Asian, Native American or African descent

Testing for Gestational Diabetes

Your family doctor will test you for gestational diabetes using a glucose tolerance test at approximately 24 weeks. The test consists of drinking a sugary solution and taking a blood test one hour later. If your blood sugar level is high, your doctor will perform additional testing.

There are two main types of Gestational Diabetes:

- Type A1 is controlled through proper diet

- Type A2 is managed with insulin

Risk to Mom

Pregnant women with gestational diabetes are 30% more likely to deliver their babies prematurely, are 40% more likely to have a c-section and 70% more likely to have pre-eclampsia.

Risk to Baby

Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are 80% more likely to be born at a larger than average weight at birth. They’re 10% more likely to suffer from breathing problems and 30% more likely to have difficulty during delivery. Babies born to moms with gestational diabetes are also more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes mellitus later in life.

Long-Term Effects

Moms with gestational diabetes are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes after the birth of the child compared to women with normal levels of blood glucose during pregnancy. Moms can also develop a whole host of other medical issues including metabolic syndrome, as compared to moms without gestational diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes is a pregnancy-related condition that should be avoided entirely if possible. Before getting pregnant and during your pregnancy, ensure that you are not overweight, you exercise regularly, you do not smoke, and you eat a well balanced healthy diet with lots of fibre, whole wheat carbohydrates and healthy fats.