Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes which affects
pregnant women. It is believed that the hormones produced during pregnancy
reduce a woman's receptivity to insulin, leading to high
blood sugares
affects about 4% of all pregnant women. It is estimated that about 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes arise in the
United States each year.
Hormones involved in development of placenta, which helps the baby to develop also blocks, the action of the mother's
insulin in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance. During
pregnancy a mother may need up to three
times more insulin for glucose to leave the blood and transform to energy. When body is not able to use insulin due to
insulin resistance it develops into
Gestational Diabetes. Glucose builds up in the blood to high level, it is called
hyperglycemia.
Gestational diabetes affects the mother in late pregnancy and the baby too. Insulin does not cross the placenta,
as
glucose and other nutrients do. Extra blood glucose passes through the placenta that gives the baby a high blood
glucose level. It results the baby's pancreas to make extra insulin to get rid of the blood glucose. Since the baby is
getting more energy than it needs to develop and grow, the extra energy is stored as fat. It can lead to Macrosomia i.e.
“Fat” baby. At birth this fat baby develops problem in breathing or may develop hypoglycemia due to over production of
insulin.
Why there is a need to take care of gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes can harm you and your baby, so you need to consider about it seriously and start caring at once.
The main aim of
gestational diabetes treatment is to keep blood glucose levels equal to those of normal pregnant
women. It needs a planned meal and scheduled physical activity, even blood glucose testing and
insulin injections if
required. If
gestational diabetes is taken care of properly, reduces the risk of a cesarean section birth that
high weight babies may require.
Types of Gestational Diabetes
There are 2 types of gestational diabetes:
- Type A1: Only diet modification is sufficient to maintain normal glucose levels.
- Type A2: Insulin or Insulin or other medications along with diet are required to maintain normal range of blood glucose.
Gestational diabetes is also classified into different forms of diabetes which existed prior to pregnancy:
- Type B:onset at age 20 or older or with duration of less than 10 years.
- Type C: onset at age 10-19 or duration of 1-19 years.
- Type D: onset before age 10 or duration greater than 20 years.
- Type F: diabetic nephropathy.
- Type R: diabetic retinopathy.
- Type H: diabetes with ischemic heart disease.
- Type T: diabetes requiring kidney transplant.