Dr. S.K. Sharma

The transition from being a woman to motherhood is a beautiful journey that remains memorable for a lifetime, for the mother as well as those around her who care for her and love her. There may be times when the health conditions and the pregnancy related discomfort may leave a bad taste, but it is also taken with a pinch of salt and forgotten as soon as the baby arrives. Whatever, may happen to the mother, but she would always try to make sure that the baby is safe and healthy when he arrives in this world. She always wishes that her child grows into a healthy toddler and a well developed adult.

While we may practice all sorts of care and caution in the course of a pregnancy, there are times when the body systems fail to function regularly, which is when the real problems arise. One of the most common, yet risky problems that usually appears or aggravates during pregnancy is the problem of glucose. A lot of women experience the problem of diabetes during pregnancy because their blood sugar goes extremely high with the changes in the lifestyle, dietary and hormonal conditions. In cases of women who may be patients of diabetes before pregnancy, they may experience increased blood sugar levels and may need to go on extra medication to keep their condition under control.

The types and effects of diabetes:
There are majorly two types of diabetes which is pre-existing and gestation induced. In the case of the pre-existing condition, the woman may already be suffering from diabetes before she conceived and in the gestational diabetes, the woman may have developed the condition after getting pregnant and may be able to go back to normal after the pregnancy is over. While it may be common in pregnant woman to develop high blood sugar, there are a number of things that could go wrong:

1. Pregnant women with diabetes may find it difficult to go in for a natural labour and may have to opt for induced labour or even a caesarean delivery.
2. It is also possible that women who already suffer from diabetes before pregnancy are more likely to carry a baby that is larger than regular babies.
3. Developing diabetes may open up the doors for a lot of other disorders and diseases in the women such as problem with vision or disorders of the body organs such as kidneys.
4. The foetus that develops in the womb may also be exposed to health issues and lack of development in the organs.
5. If the baby is born fairly healthy, it may end up developing diseases after birth or even in adult life, which may be due to the diabetes in the mother at the time of the pregnancy.
6. In extreme cases, the woman may undergo a miscarriage or the baby may be a still born.

In order to, be able to ensure a healthy and safe pregnancy, it may be essential to make sure that the best gynaecologist is chosen for regular checks and the meeting schedules with the doctor are followed religiously to rule out the possibility of unhealthy consequences.