What is Gestational Diabetes?, Reason and symptoms and treatment of Gestational Diabetes

What is Gestational Diabetes?

 Gestational Diabetes only happens during pregnancy. If you have it, you can still have a healthy baby, with help from your doctor and by doing simple things every day to manage your blood sugar.
After your baby is born, you may not have diabetes anymore. Gestational diabetes makes you more likely to develop Type II Diabetes, but it won’t definitely happen.

Reason:-

When you're pregnant, your body naturally becomes more resistant to insulin so that more glucose is available to nourish your baby. For most moms-to-be, this isn't a problem: When your body needs additional insulin to process excess glucose in blood, the pancreas secretes more.

But if the pancreas can't keep up with the increased demand for insulin during pregnancy, blood sugar levels rise too high because the cells aren't using the glucose. This results in gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes needs to be recognized and treated quickly because it can cause health problems for mother and baby. 

Unlike other types of diabetes, gestational diabetes isn't permanent. Once a baby is born, blood sugar will most likely return to normal quickly. However, having gestational diabetes does make developing diabetes in the future more likely.

At risk of developing gestational diabetes?

Anyone can develop gestational diabetes, and not all women who develop the condition have known risk factors. About 5 to 10 percent of all pregnant women get gestational diabetes. You're more likely to develop gestational diabetes if you:

• Are age 25 or older
• Have a close relative who has diabetes
• Are overweight, especially if your body mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher
• Have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
• Have a medical condition that makes diabetes more likely, such as glucose intolerance
• Take certain medications like glucocorticoids (for asthma or an autoimmune disease), beta-blockers (for high blood pressure or a rapid heart rate), or antipsychotic drugs (for mental health problems)
• Have had gestational diabetes before
• Have had a big baby before (macrosomia)
• Are African American, Native American, Asian American, Hispanic, or Pacific Islander

Risk factors:-

Classical risk factors for developing gestational diabetes are:

• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
• A previous diagnosis of gestational diabetes or prediabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, or impaired fasting glycaemia
• A family history revealing a first-degree relative with type 2 diabetes
• Maternal age – a woman's risk factor increases as she gets older (especially for women over 35 years of age).
• Ethnicity (those with higher risk factors include African-Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, and people originating from South Asia)
• Being overweight, obese or severely obese increases the risk by a factor 2.1, 3.6 and 8.6, respectively.
• A previous pregnancy which resulted in a child with a macrosomia (high birth weight: >90th centile or >4000 g (8 lbs 12.8 oz))
• Previous poor obstetric history
• Other genetic risk factors: There are at least 10 genes where certain polymorphism are associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes, most notably TCF7L2.

In addition to this, statistics show a double risk of GDM in smokers. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is also a risk factor, although relevant evidence remains controversial. Some studies have looked at more controversial potential risk factors, such as short stature.

About 40–60% of women with GDM have no demonstrable risk factor; for this reason many advocate to screen all women. Typically, women with GDM exhibit no symptoms (another reason for universal screening), but some women may demonstrate increased thirst, increased urination, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, bladder infection, yeast infections and blurred vision.

Signs and symptoms can include:

• Sugar in urine (revealed in a test done in your doctor’s office)
• Unusual thirst
• Frequent urination
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Frequent vaginal, bladder, and skin infections
• Blurred vision

Treatment for Gestational Diabetes:-

Approximately 2-5% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes; this number may increase to 7-9% of mothers who are more likely to have risk factors. The screening for this disease usually takes place between your 24th and 28th week of pregnancy.

Doctors test for gestational diabetes during this time because the placenta is producing large amounts of hormones that may cause insulin resistance. Insulin injections are the most common medical treatment for gestational diabetes. If you need insulin, you'll have up to three injections daily, and your provider will teach you to inject yourself.

Monitoring your own blood sugar is a vital part of your treatment plan. Your provider will show you how to test yourself with a special device. This involves pricking your finger with a small needle first thing in the morning and then again an hour or two after you've eaten a meal. Many women find this uncomfortable procedure to be the worst part of the treatment for gestational diabetes.

If the results indicate elevated levels, further testing would be done to confirm a gestational diabetes diagnosis.

Things To Be Afraid Of:-

If gestational diabetes is diagnosed and treated effectively, there is little risk of complications. In such cases, women with gestational diabetes can have healthy babies, and the diabetes should disappear after delivery.

However, if gestational diabetes is not treated, effects on the mother and baby can include:

• Large birth weight
• Premature delivery
• Increased chance of cesarean delivery
• Slightly increased risk of fetal and neonatal death
• It is also important that you watch for signs of diabetes after giving birth.