Top Pregnancy Concerns – Gestational Diabetes
Pregnancy or gestation period does not always go smoothly. Depending on individual health, women face various complications. Among them, gestational diabetes is one of the top concerns. Mostly between 12 and 20 weeks of pregnancy,
women come to know about gestational diabetes through glucose tolerance test. In the US, about 4 to 5 percent of women go through gestational diabetes every year.
Gestational diabetes is the rise in blood glucose level in an otherwise non diabetic mother, only during the pregnancy. The hormonal balance during pregnancy gets completely changed from the normal state. Gestational diabetes arises due to the suppression of insulin, because other hormones are produced only during pregnancy. After delivery, the insulin level gets back to the normal level. But gestational diabetes predisposes future chances of getting diabetic.
Many factors contribute to gestational diabetes. Obesity, bad eating habits, irregular lifestyle and family history, greatly contribute to gestational diabetes. Women having all or some of these factors should see themselves as high risk of diabetes.
Normally, the blood glucose level should not rise more than 120mg/dl to 140 mg/dl. But women with gestational diabetes fall out of this normal range, and have glucose levels higher than 140mg/dl. Women usually don’t show prominent symptoms for diabetes. Thirst and extensive urination are commonly observed symptoms. They may also experience nausea, fatigue or even bladder and other infections.
High level of glucose can have several short-term or long-term consequences. The high glucose concentration may enter the fetus, and overburden the pancreas to produce excessive insulin. The increased level of glucose and insulin, cause the baby to put on some extra weight, with the upper part of body being abnormally heavy and large. This may cause several problems during delivering. Ignorance of the situation or misleading may lead to bone fractures and nervous problems.
Moreover, normally delivered babies of diabetic mothers, have increased chances of becoming overweight and obese in their childhood and adulthood. The mother’s high sugar level may also lead to increased red blood cells, calcium deficiency and impaired heart functioning in the baby. Besides the baby, high sugar level at the time of delivery may also bring several delivering complications, posing a serious threat to the mother’s life.
Controlling gestational sugar level is through lifestyle and diet changes which bring no threat to the health of the fetus or the mother. Diet planning is the safest way of controlling diabetes. You may consult a registered dietician to get a diet plan for you. The individual diet plan is always based on general health, weight, level of glucose intolerance, nutrition and your personal preference.
Replacing carbohydrate food with protein rich high fiber food can be the best way to deal with it. Additionally, excessive use of water, green leafy vegetables, and vitamin rich fruits can really help to improve the situation. The mother should also do regular easy exercises to keep herself fit. If this does not work, you can consult the doctor for further advice. |
