Side Effects of Diabetes Medicines During Pregnancy - What Everyone Should Know?

Diabetes is a chronic disease, which is linked with a malfunction of the pituitary gland. Once this gland stops functioning properly, the body tends to absorb the glucose that comes from food, in order to create insulin. This creates diabetes of various kinds.

Here are the facts that you should know about diabetes during pregnancy and the side effects of diabetic drugs taken during pregnancy.

1. Women may be suffering from Diabetes Mellitus before they conceive, or they may develop gestational diabetes after they have conceived. In either case, the blood sugar levels will be adversely affected and the baby will also be at risk of being born with the same condition. This will also have a bearing on the diabetes medication that may be administered to the expecting mother at such a time.
2. Control over blood sugar during one's pregnancy is of utmost importance. This has to be done in a natural way, rather than with the help of medication. This is due to the fact that changes in the blood sugar level where the same goes beyond the normal range can result in birth defects if it is not controlled within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.
3. Choosing the diabetes medication methods during pregnancy is of utmost importance. One can choose to use a syringe or go in for oral medication, depending on how far the pregnancy is, as well as the level of the blood sugar.
4. Doctors usually try to prescribe oral anti diabetic medication for women who are suffering from gestational diabetes as well as those who have been suffering from Diabetes Mellitus before the pregnancy.
5. More than medication, the doctors suggest that the expecting mother should control her sugar levels with the help of proper diet, plenty of pregnancy-safe exercises as well as lower stress levels, which may trigger a sudden spike in the blood sugar levels, in many cases.
6. Low carbohydrate intake is one of the best ways to ensure that the maternal sugar levels are low during pregnancy. This can prevent birth defects like a head that is too large for the body of the baby.
7. The timing and the dosage of the medication must be carefully monitored and reported so that the patient is able to take charge of the glycemic control duration and dosage on her own. This will also help ensure that the pregnancy is a perfectly safe one with minimum complications.
8. The above evaluation must happen on an at least weekly basis so that the medication is prescribed at the exact dosage as required by the patient’s body. This will ensure that the medicines do not cause any undue side effects on the pregnancy or the baby growing within the womb, at that time. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an endocrinologist.