Gestational Diabetes Symptoms
Gestational Diabetes is basically a condition in which women show signs of high blood glucose, specifically during the third trimester of their pregnancy. These women do not have any previous history of this disease. It is a temporary condition that influences 2 to 4 percent of
pregnant women around the world. However, the mother and child both are exposed to the risk of developing diabetes afterwards. This can be controlled by diet and exercise management.
Usually women with a family history of diabetes, contract this disease during pregnancy. However, research has shown that women older than 25 years suffer from this disease. Weight is also a very important factor, as most of the women who have gestational diabetes are overweight before and during pregnancy. Women, who have had a previous miscarriage or even a stillbirth, can have this disease. High blood pressure can also be a factor influencing the cause of this disease.
Gestational diabetes is a temporary condition, and glucose levels return to normal after the delivery. Often, gestational diabetes has no symptoms, or very mild symptoms, which are not life threatening to the patient. One of the main symptoms of gestational diabetes is blurred vision. Women may also experience symptoms of fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Frequent infections also occur such as bladder infection, skin infection etc and there might also be need for increased urination. The appetite pattern also changes as women have an increased appetite but experience weight loss, and thirst also increases.
Gestational diabetes starts during the mid of the pregnancy. That is why gynecologists recommend an oral glucose tolerance test, somewhere between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy. This disease might not influence the mother, but can have serious complications for the baby. The baby can suffer from macrosomia, shoulder dystocia, neonatal hypoglycemia, prolonged jaundice, low blood calcium, respiratory distress; the baby could be still born or die during infancy.
That is why it is very important to keep this disease under check. There might not be a specific cure for this disease; however, it could be properly controlled to minimize risks to the mother and the baby. Diet and exercise are two main factors that could help in minimizing the affects of this disease. A variety of healthy foods must be added to the diet enabling a balanced intake of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Whereas, foods that contain a lot of sugar such as soft drinks, fruit juices, and bakery items must not be consumed at all.
The ideal meal plan will include three meals of moderate or small size, accompanied with one or more snack in a day. If you skip a meal or a snack, your glucose level is going to be affected. If blood glucose levels cannot be controlled through diet and exercise, then insulin is used.
In order to have a trouble free healthy pregnancy and also a healthy baby, pregnant women must go for regular checkups and tests. That way, gestational diabetes can be controlled. |
