What Is Gestational Diabetes?
Mostly, pregnant women suffer from gestational diabetes because of various hormones that attack the function of insulin. As a result, the blood sugar level shoots up because of the deficiency of insulin in the blood. This happens so that the growing baby gets enough sugar- instead it results in the development of gestational diabetes, as the body is unable to meet the extra demand of insulin during pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes occurs in the second trimester of pregnancy and as soon as the baby is born, it fades away. However, some women suffer from diabetes even after the birth of the child and it is probably because they were slowly developing Type 1 diabetes.
About 4% pregnant women get affected by gestational diabetes. Although doctors have yet not discovered the real cause but they believe that the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin so that it may transport sugar into the cells for energy.
In response to this situation, the pancreas of the baby produces extra insulin so that the sugar can be transported into the cells for energy. When the pancreas is unable to cope with such circumstances then the extra blood sugar gets stored up as fat in the baby and this can of course be injurious to the health of the baby.
The babies will be at a risk of growing larger than usual. All this is due to the stored deposit of fat, which resulted because of the extra release of insulin. This can make delivery very difficult. The babies may even have low blood sugar level after birth because some children may produce higher amount of insulin causing an increase in blood sugar level.
There is also a higher likelihood of babies being born with a birth defect. Sometimes babies are born with respiratory syndrome in which the baby suffers from breathing problem as the lungs are not developed the way they should have. Moreover, there are increased chances of the baby being born obese and a risk of developing diabetes in the early age.
Gestational diabetes is not an immediate threat to the health of a woman but if diabetes is not properly controlled and treated then a pregnant woman will be prone to higher health risks. The threats include premature labour and excessive production of excessive amniotic fluid around the unborn baby. When you get your gestational diabetes diagnosed then your treatment will solely be aimed at stabilizing the glucose levels. This includes a proper control of nutrition, regular exercises and weight gain.
The symptoms of gestational diabetes are general that occur in type 1 and type 2 Diabetes. This involves increased thirst, frequent tours to the bathroom and feeling fatigued. However, these are some common symptoms that normally occur at the time of pregnancy. Although diabetes is complicated but if women control their blood sugar level then they will be least affected by the illness. For this to happen, a healthy lifestyle needs to be followed with a balanced diet and regular exercise.
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