Gestational diabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels rise during pregnancy. Know more about the tips for women with gestational diabetes.

What is gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels rise during pregnancy. It affects up to 10% of women who are pregnant in the US each year. It affects pregnant women who have never been diagnosed with diabetes.

There are two kinds of gestational diabetes. Women with class A1 can control it through diet and exercise. Those who have class A2 need to take insulin or other medications.

Gestational diabetes goes away after delivery. But it can affect your baby's health and increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. You can take steps to keep yourself and your baby healthy.

5 tips for women with gestational diabetes

Eat healthy food

Eat healthy foods from an eating plan designed for someone with diabetes. A dietitian can help you create a healthy eating plan. Learn more about meal planning for diabetes.

A dietitian can also help you learn to control your blood sugar level during pregnancy. To find a registered dietitian near you, visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website external icon.

Happy African American pregnant woman exercising with dumbbells.

Exercise regularly

Exercise is another way to keep your blood sugar under control. Helps balance food intake. After consulting with your doctor, you can exercise regularly during and after pregnancy. Get at tiniest 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least five days a week. This could be walking, swimming, or actively playing with children.

Check your blood sugar often

Because pregnancy changes the body's need for energy, blood sugar levels can change very quickly. Check your blood sugar level regularly as directed by your doctor.

Take insulin, if needed

Occasionally a woman with gestational diabetes must take insulin. If your doctor orders insulin, take it as directed to help keep your blood sugar under control.

Get tested for diabetes after pregnancy

Get verified for diabetes 6 to 12 weeks after your baby is born, and then every 1 to 3 years. For most women with gestational diabetes, the diabetes goes away shortly after delivery. When it doesn't go away, the diabetes is called type 2 diabetes. Even if the diabetes goes away after the baby is born, half of all women who had gestational diabetes develop type 2 diabetes later in life. It is important for a female who has had gestational diabetes to endure to exercise and eat a healthy diet after pregnancy to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

What are the symptoms of gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes rarely causes symptoms. If you experience symptoms, they are likely to be mild. They may include:

• Fatigue
• Blurry vision
• Excessive thirst
• Excessive urge to urinate
• Snoring

Causes of gestational diabetes

Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that regulates the body's metabolism of fats and carbohydrates and helps the body convert sugar into energy.

Gestational diabetes occurs when hormones in the placenta block insulin, preventing the body from effectively regulating the rise in blood sugar during pregnancy.

This causes hyperglycemia (or high blood sugar levels), which can damage nerves, blood vessels, and organs in your body.

What is the treatment for gestational diabetes?

You and your healthcare provider will determine the best treatment for you based on:

• How old are you?
• Your general health and your past health
• How sick are you?
• How well you can grip specific medications, procedures, or therapies?
• How extended the condition is expected to last?
• Your opinion or preference

Treatment for gestational diabetes focuses on custody your blood sugar stages within the normal range. Treatment may include:

Special diet. You should eat 5 servings of vegetables, fruits, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, and lean meats. Use liquid cooking fats instead of solid fats. You should eat whole grains and evade high-calorie snacks or sweet puddings.

Exercise. You should exercise moderately unless your healthcare provider tells you not to.

Daily blood glucose monitoring. Your goal is to keep your blood sugar levels below 130 mg / dL to 140 mg / dL 1 hour after eating.

Insulin injections. You may need them to control your blood sugar levels. Or you may need other medications by mouth.

Diagnosis of gestational diabetes

Your physician will test you for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. Tests include the glucose challenge test and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). If your glucose challenge test results show a high blood glucose level, you will return for an OGTT test to confirm the diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes Risk factors

The classic risk factors for emerging gestational diabetes are:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• A previous diagnosis of gestational diabetes or prediabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, or impaired fasting blood glucose
• Family history skimpy a first-degree qualified with type 2 diabetes
• Maternal age: A woman's risk factor increases as she ages (especially for women over 35 years of age).
• Paternal age: One study found that the age of a father over 55 was associated with GA
• Ethnicity (those with higher risk factors include African Americans, African-Caribbean, Native Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, and people of South Asian origin)
• Being overweight, obese, or severely obese increases your risk by a factor of 2.1, 3.6, and 8.6, respectively.
• A previous pregnancy that resulted in a child with macrosomia (high birth weight:> 90th percentile or> 4000 g (8 lbs 12.8 oz))
• Previous poor obstetric history

Other Genetic Risk Factors: There are at least 10 genes in which a certain polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes, most notably TCF7L2.

In adding to this, statistics show a double risk of GDM in smokers. Polycystic ovary syndrome is also a risk factor, although the relevant evidence remains controversial. Some studies have observed at more controversial possible risk factors, such as short stature.

About 40 to 60% of women with GDM do not have a obvious risk factor; for this reason, many supporter screening for all women. Women with GDM normally have no symptoms (another reason for universal screening), but some women may show augmented thirst, increased urination, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, bladder infection, yeast infections, and blurry vision.

Complications

Gestational diabetes that is not carefully controlled can lead to high blood sugar levels. High blood sugar can cause problems for you and your baby, including an increased chance of needing a C-section to deliver.

Complications that can affect your baby

If you have gestational diabetes, your baby may have a higher risk of:

Excessive birth weight. Higher-than-normal blood sugar in moms can cause their babies to grow too large. Very large babies, those who weigh 9 pounds or more, are more likely to get caught in the birth canal, have birth injuries, or need a C-section.

Early (premature) delivery. High blood sugar levels can increase the risk of women having preterm labor and delivery earlier than expected. Or an early delivery may be recommended because the baby is large.

Severe breathing difficulties. Babies born prematurely to mothers with gestational diabetes may experience respiratory distress syndrome, a condition that makes it difficult to breathe.

Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia). Occasionally babies of mothers with gestational diabetes have low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) shortly after birth. Severe hypoglycemic episodes can lead to seizures in the baby. Quick feeds and sometimes an IV glucose solution can return the baby's blood sugar level to normal.

Obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life. Babies of mothers who have gestational diabetes are at increased risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life.

Birth of a still child. Raw gestational diabetes can chief to the death of a baby before or shortly after birth.

Complications that can affect you

Gestational diabetes can also increase your risk of:

High blood pressure and preeclampsia. Gestational diabetes increases the risk of high blood pressure, as well as pre-eclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication that causes high blood pressure and other life-threatening symptoms for both mother and baby.

Have a surgical delivery (cesarean section). You are more likely to have a C-section if you have gestational diabetes.

Future diabetes. If you have gestational diabetes, you are more likely to have it again during a future pregnancy. You also have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes as you age.

Prevention

There are no guarantees when it originates to preventing gestational diabetes, but the more healthy habits you can adopt beforehand pregnancy, the better. If you've had gestational diabetes, these healthy options can also lower your risk of having it again in future pregnancies or developing type 2 diabetes in the future.

Eat healthy food. Select foods high in fiber and low in fat and calories. Focus on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Strive for diversity to help you achieve your goals without compromising on taste or nutrition. Watch the portion sizes.

Stay active. Exercising before and throughout pregnancy can help protect you from developing gestational diabetes. Try to get 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week. Take a quick daily walk. Ride your bike. Swim laps. Short bursts of activity, like parking further from the store when running errands or taking a short break to walk, also add up.

Start your pregnancy at a healthy weight. If you plan to get pregnant, losing extra weight beforehand can help you have a healthier pregnancy. Focus on making lasting changes to your eating habits that can help you during pregnancy, like eating more vegetables and fruits.

Do not gain more weight than recommended. Gaining some weight during pregnancy is usual and healthy. But gaining too much weight too fast can increase your risk for gestational diabetes. Ask your doctor what a reasonable quantity of weight gain is for you.