Gestational Diabetes in Pregnancy
Pregnancy, while a life-transforming experience often takes a toll on the body, putting it through several hormonal and physical changes. While most of these changes are harmless, sometimes they can cause you to develop conditions that require special attention during pregnancy or lingering after. One such example is gestational diabetes in pregnancy, or new-onset diabetes during pregnancy.
What causes gestational diabetes?
While the exact cause of why someone develops diabetes during pregnancy is still being researched, most of it is attributed to hormonal changes and weight gain during pregnancy that hamper your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels. Some hypotheses suggest it is caused by the placenta releasing a hormone that interferes with insulin.
Gestational diabetes usually resolves after birth. However, you might get additional testing during the postpartum period to ensure that you don’t have persistent diabetes.
Who gets tested for gestational diabetes?
We require every client to get tested for gestational diabetes. Even young, healthy people with good diets and no family history can develop gestational diabetes in pregnancy. Hence, we test all mothers at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy.
If you have risk factors such as family history of gestational diabetes or obesity, you might need to get tested earlier.
How do you treat gestational diabetes?
If clients develop gestational diabetes, we refer them to a specialist to help with diet and exercise. Some people can achieve great results with lifestyle changes and require no further intervention. If their gestational diabetes can be managed with proper diet and exercise, there is no higher risk and they can still give birth here at the birth center.
However, some mothers may need medication or insulin to control their blood sugar levels. In such cases, we evaluate if this puts them at risk, referring them to hospital care if needed.
How does gestational diabetes affect the baby?
Gestational diabetes unfortunately puts your baby at increased risk of birth complications. These can include:
- Fetal macrosomia or increased birth weight
- Preterm birth
- Low blood sugar at birth
- Breathing problems at birth
- Increased chances of developing diabetes later in life
How do you test for gestational diabetes?
Our testing options we have include:
- Traditional Glucola drink
- The Fresh Test (organic lemonade with equivalent dextrose)
- Finger sticks for self-monitoring blood sugar
Testing is usually done with an oral glucose tolerance test. Your blood sugar level will be checked during a fasting state. After this, you’ll have to drink a sweet drink and your blood sugar level will be tested again after 2 hours.