What To Expect In Gestational Diabetes?

Diabetes is the new age epidemic, a metabolic disorder, and is mainly due to lifestyle, though there is a genetic component to it. Type 1 diabetes is usually detected in the early stages and caused by the absence or reduced levels of pancreatic hormones. People with type 1 often require insulin on a daily basis.

Type 2 diabetes, which is the more common one and affects a larger number of people, is due to a combination of lifestyle and poor dietary choices. Sedentary lifestyle increased consumption of sugars, and lack of healthy eating habits have led to an increase in sugar levels, thereby producing diabetes.

The issue with diabetes is that it is not just one body part that is affected, but the whole bodily systems get impacted. The kidneys, eyes, heart, nervous system, circulatory system, and overall metabolism are all affected, leading to various complications.

Diabetes and pregnancy can be seen in a woman is already diabetic before getting pregnant, while in some cases, diabetes may set in during pregnancy.

If the woman is already diabetic at the time of pregnancy, the increased levels of hormones in the body can cause higher or lower levels of blood sugar. Both hyper and hypoglycemia can have side-effects so monitoring the sugar levels becomes extremely critical.

For hypoglycemia, the woman may feel fatigue, blurred vision, mood changes, and excessive sweating. This is usually triggered by irregular eating patterns and overexertion. For immediate relief, eat something with a lot of sugar like a chocolate or a juice and make sure your eating patterns are regular. Constant monitoring of sugar levels is very important.

With hyperglycemia, which is often due to stress, lack of physical workout, and improper food habits; it is very important to monitor sugar levels and regularize eating.

If a woman is already diabetic before pregnancy, then sugar levels have to be carefully monitored to ensure there are no major deviations.

Diabetes can lead to complications for both the woman and the child, including:

1. Macrosomia: This is a developmental anomaly where the newborn has an abnormally large head. If this happens, then vaginal delivery may not be possible. The baby also could be injured during the delivery.
2. Hypoglycemia post-delivery: Immediately after delivery, there is a good chance that sugar levels may drop too low, both for the newborn and the mother.

Diabetes developing during pregnancy can be managed by careful monitoring of sugar levels, developing a healthy nutrition plan, and being active.

Diabetes during pregnancy has become a lot more common than it was earlier, mainly due to a combination of lifestyle and hormones. However, with careful planning and monitoring, millions of women have fared through pregnancy without any major complications from diabetes. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!