During the pregnancy stage sometimes people affected by high blood sugar (glucose) levels and this condition characterized as gestational diabetes. In most cases this blood sugar or glucose level back to normal after delivery. In United States there are 3 percent to five percent pregnant people diagnosed by diabetes.
Causes
Some hormonal changes take place during pregnancy and that is the he major cause of the gestational diabetes. Certain hormones made in placenta (an organ that connects umbilical cord to uterus that helps to transfer nutrients to baby from mother) that involve with the insulin to manage blood sugar and this process is known as “insulin resistance”. During pregnancy placenta grows large and produce more hormones that increase the insulin resistance.
Generally, mothers’ pancreases are capable to produce more insulin say about three times than the normal amount to overcome the insulin resistance. In case, during pregnancy if the pancreas are not able to create enough insulin to conquer against the effects of increased pancreas then that leads to high sugar level. This whole process is the major cause of gestational diabetes.
Risk Factors
Some of the major factors that increase and develop the risks of gestational diabetes are – a woman being overweight by 20 percent or more than their real body weight is one of the major risk factors. Secondly, family history is other major risk. For instance, if a sibling or parent has diabetes then the woman has lot of risk to get diabetes in pregnancy. Pre-mature baby birth is another major risk factor for diabetes.
Apart from that if a woman has gestational diabetes in her previous birth also one of the causes for risk factors. Furthermore, having excess amniotic also one of the risks and this condition called as polyhydramnios.
However, development of gestational diabetes has no known risk factors in half of the women.
When and How to diagnose?
A woman needs to diagnose gestational diabetes between the weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy because the insulin resistance occurs only during this stage. In case if a woman already had gestational diabetes or if a doctor feels there are chances for this diabetes than it is advisable to take the tests prior to 13th week of pregnancy.
The oral glucose tolerance test is ideal the screen test for gestational diabetes. This is a very simple test, just a woman needs to swallow sweetened liquid (which has 50g of glucose) as quickly as possible. This glucose can absorb by the body rapidly that in turn increase the blood sugar level in just 30 to 60 minutes. After 30 minutes from drinking the solution a laboratory person take the sample from the arm vain and diagnose whether she has diabetes or not.
Treatments
A woman needs to check blood sugar levels regularly during pregnancy and she also need to follow certain guidelines instructed by her doctor. Regular exercising and taking insulin also help to decrease blood sugar. These are some of the major things about gestational diabetes and pregnancy.