Gestational Diabetes Tests
Gestational diabetes is defined as a condition in which women without previously diagnosed diabetes mellitus start to exhibit high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. In other words, it is any degree of glucose tolerance with the first recognition during pregnancy. This condition is mostly seen in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes can exhibit almost no symptoms at all and this condition is most commonly diagnosed during routine screening in pregnancy. On a mass population, it has been seen that Gestational Diabetes is shown to affect 3-10% of pregnancies.
The tests that are used to screen gestational diabetes are:
- Non challenge blood glucose tests which include Fasting glucose tests, 2 hour post prandial (after a meal glucose test) and random glucose tests
- Screening glucose challenge tests
- Oral glucose tolerance tests
These tests are particularly considered in those pregnant women where there is a presence of one or more of the following risk factors:
- A history of gestational diabetes in previous pregnancy/pregnancies
- Impaired glucose screening tests
- A family history that reveals a first degree relative with type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Maternal age
- Ethnic backgrounds: Afro-Americans, Afro-Caribbean, Hispanics, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and women who are originating from South Asia
- Overweight or Obese
- Pervious pregnancy which concluded in the baby being overweight when born
- Poor obstetric history
Also, while taking the history of pregnant patients, the obstetrician also inquires whether and if, there is a history of smoking or polycystic ovarian syndrome. In many tertiary care hospitals, women with short statures are also considered as potential subjects for screening because they also can develop gestational diabetes.
It must be known here that almost 40-60% women do not exhibit any demonstrable risk factors for the development of gestational diabetes. However, some women may show symptoms such as increase thirst and urination, excessive fatigue, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision and yeast infection.
Gestational Diabetes is not a dangerous disease but the potential dangers that it carries along with it are problematic. For example, babies who are born to mothers having gestational diabetes are at increased risk of problems such as being large for gestational age, having low blood sugar when born or having jaundice. Moreover, it increases the risk of the baby born via a caesarean section.
Gestational Diabetes also poses many risks to women. For example, women are at increased risk of developing type 2 Diabetes and also have a risk of developing a condition known as pre-eclampsia during pregnancy. This is a condition where there is a high increase in blood pressure and protein in urine.
The treatment of Gestational Diabetes is aimed to reduce its risks for mother and child. Along with lifestyle management, the patient is prescribed anti-diabetic medications. Most commonly, therapeutic regime involves pre-meal fast acting insulin in order to blunt the sharp rises in glucose after meals.
Gestational Diabetes generally resolves once the baby is born but its chances of developing in the second pregnancy are between 30-84%. |
