Gestational diabetes – causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention [EXPLAINED]

Proven content

More and more pregnant women struggle with the so-called gestational diabetes. This disease affects almost one in ten pregnant women. If left untreated, it can be dangerous for both the mother and the baby. Therefore, it is worth checking the blood glucose levels regularly during pregnancy. If your glucose levels increase significantly, see your doctor immediately. What is diabetes in pregnancy? How to recognize its symptoms? Is insulin therapy safe in pregnancy?

Gestational diabetes – definition

Gestational diabetes mellitus is a disease resulting from carbohydrate intolerance which causes an increase in blood glucose levels during pregnancy. It occurs most often in women who did not have a problem with elevated blood sugar levels before becoming pregnant. Endocrine disruptions are usually the cause of gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is usually diagnosed between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy, but it is worth monitoring blood glucose levels from the first weeks of pregnancy.

The risk of gestational diabetes increases with age and with the next pregnancy, especially if the woman previously had problems with high sugar levels. Confirmed blood glucose levels above normal in early pregnancy may indicate type 2 diabetes, which was not diagnosed before pregnancy, or type 1 diabetes developing during pregnancy.

Read more on: Type 2 Diabetes – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Complications and Prevention

Gestational diabetes – causes

In addition to the problems with the hormonal balance, which are the direct cause of gestational diabetes, there are several other factors that indicate the risk of this ailment in pregnancy. These include, among others: age (over 35); giving birth to more than two children; giving birth to a child with a developmental defect and intrauterine death.

Diabetes during pregnancy may be a risk of women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome and arterial hypertension. Gestational diabetes may also occur in women who are overweight and in those who have given birth to a child with a birth weight over 4,5 kg.

There is a group of women who develop gestational diabetes even without the previously mentioned causes. Therefore, the appearance of this disease is a warning for the organism, which, most likely due to genetic reasons, is prone to carbohydrate intolerance. Gestational diabetes in the future may lead to type 2 diabetes.

We have no influence on genetic conditions, but we can slightly modify environmental factors. If we are at risk, it is worth introducing a balanced diet before becoming pregnant, practicing regular sports and leading a healthy lifestyle. It is a good idea to use the services of a dietitian.

Check what exercises you can do during pregnancy. Read: Exercise in Pregnancy

Gestational diabetes – symptoms

The symptoms of gestational diabetes include polyuria. Why? Since glucose is an osmotic active substance, it retains water in the body and combines with the water. During pregnancy diabetes, urination is very common and amounts to up to 3 liters of fluid excreted per day. Glucosuria, i.e. glucose excretion in the urine, also occurs frequently.

Another ailment in pregnancy diabetes is uncontrolled hunger pangs. They occur due to a lack of insulin. Then the glucose in the blood cannot reach the body’s tissues where it can be used. Despite the increased need for food, the woman’s body is constantly hungry.

Another symptom of gestational diabetes is the need to drink plenty of fluids. High thirst is associated with the rapid loss of water excreted in the urine. The mucosa and skin dries quickly and sends signals to replenish the fluids. If we drink something very often during pregnancy, it is a sign that something disturbing is going on in the body.

Symptoms that may lead to gestational diabetes include: somnolence; tiredness; nausea; frequent skin, bladder and vaginal infections and visual disturbances. Sudden weight gain during pregnancy and too rapid growth of the fetus in relation to the stage of pregnancy may also be a disturbing symptom.

Also read: Fetal development stages – first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy

Diagnosing diabetes in pregnancy

The first blood glucose test should be performed already in the 10th week of pregnancy. Already then, it is possible to initially assess whether the pregnant woman does not suffer from diabetes. The results of laboratory tests showing elevated blood glucose should be consulted by the attending physician as soon as possible for consultation.

Testing the 75 g glucose load should be performed between 24 and 28 weeks in each pregnant woman. Then the so-called and a glucose load test is a little more complicated. After drawing blood, a pregnant woman must drink a glass of water in which there are 75 grams of dissolved glucose. Due to the very sweet taste of the drink, it is worth adding lemon juice to it to balance the taste. Lemon juice has no effect on the test result, it only improves the taste of glucose. There is already a preparation on the market with lemon-flavored glucose, often better tolerated than ordinary pure glucose.

An hour later, and then two hours later, the blood is tested again. Before the OGTT examination, the pregnant woman must be fasting. The pregnant woman should find out if glucose is available at the clinic or if she needs to get it. The test results should be collected on the next day. If your blood glucose level is below 140 mg%, don’t worry.

If the glucose level is higher, but does not exceed 180 mg%, another test, the so-called diagnostic test. This test is similar to the previous test, the only difference is that you need to fasten and the drinking solution is sweeter. Then we consume as much as 75 grams of glucose with the liquid, and blood is drawn two hours after drinking the solution. During this time, meals may not be eaten under any circumstances.

If the test result is greater than 95 mg% and then greater than 140 mg% after two hours, the pregnant woman should be referred to a diabetes clinic or special pregnancy center. The results of the indicators listed below mean that the pregnant woman has no cause for concern.

The load test will be reliable only when the last meal eaten was approx. 12 hours from the test, the pregnant woman was fasted and did not eat a large amount of sweets the day before. After the third test, it is not repeated anymore, and abnormal glucose levels are indicative of gestational diabetes. Treatment should be started immediately after the tests are performed.

See also: Glucose price – sources of occurrence, when to test glucose levels?

Treatment of diabetes in pregnancy – recommendations of a diabetologist and dietitian

A woman suffering from gestational diabetes after visiting a diabetologist should follow a special diabetic diet for pregnant women, which will regulate blood sugar levels. In this diet, the daily requirement is at least 1800 kcal. Increase the amount of protein in your meals, which is essential for the proper development of the fetus.

A diabetic diet is not for weight loss, a pregnant woman should not feel hungry. While on a sugar diet, you should avoid simple sugars, including sweets, fruit juices, carbonated drinks, and fats. The dietitian should adjust the diet, taking into account the period of pregnancy, physical activity and the weight of the pregnant woman.

Another very important point of treatment is glycemic self-monitoring using a glucometer. You need to check the sugar level at least 4 times a day: in the morning, before breakfast and at least one hour before each meal. The meter is a device that is easy to use. It consists of a thin needle and a measuring strip. Use the needle to gently pierce your finger and squeeze a little blood onto the test strip. You should wait a few seconds for the results.

From the time of diagnosis of gestational diabetes up to the 34th week of pregnancy, a woman should visit her doctor every two weeks, and every week after the 36th week. During this examination, the doctor checks the size of the child and auscultates the heart with CTG. It is also possible to perform an additional assessment of the child’s biophysical profile. All these tests are done to prevent your baby from dying.

If the tests are successful and blood glucose control is working, your delivery should be as planned. In this case, there are also no contraindications to giving birth by forces of nature. Such a birth should be performed in a specialist hospital.

What tests should be performed during pregnancy? Check: Pregnancy tests – obligatory, additional, when

Treatment of pregnant women with insulin is completely safe and harmless to the fetus (it only passes through the placenta to the fetus in 1-3%).

Insulin is currently the only drug that is used for diabetes in pregnancy. The doses of insulin taken do not pose a threat to either the mother or the baby. Take your insulin injections 4 to 7 times a day, as directed by your doctor. Insulin is injected with special syringes, the so-called penami. It is injected into the arm, thighs or buttocks, depending on the duration of action. Depending on your glycemic performance, insulin may only be taken at night or before meals.

Pregnant women should not take insulin injections into the belly as this can increase stress and harm the baby. The injections may be given in a surgery or office by a nurse. Insulin injections can also be performed independently – the process of various techniques of insulin administration should be presented to the pregnant woman by the nurse or doctor.

See also: Glycemic index – table, products, low and high GI levels

A pregnant woman should pay attention to the so-called carbohydrate exchangers, known as bread units. One bread unit is the equivalent of 10 grams of carbohydrate ingested by the body in the form of lactose, starch or sucrose.

In addition to the aforementioned diet, physical activity is important, as it supports the burning of glucose and thus reduces the insulin resistance of tissues. As a result, their sensitivity to insulin is much greater. If the pregnant woman feels well, she should perform a special set of exercises (in consultation with a doctor) that speeds up the metabolic process.

Read more on: How to boost your metabolism?

Such labor usually ends with a cesarean section. Then the childbirth should take place after about 37 weeks of pregnancy. After delivery, blood glucose levels usually return to normal, but should be monitored during the first two weeks of the puerperium. After about 3 months, it is advisable to re-test the oral glucose load of 75 grams. Diabetes problems in pregnancy should end immediately after delivery, otherwise the woman should be under the constant care of a diabetologist.

One of the complications of untreated gestational diabetes may be neonatal hypoglycaemia. During pregnancy, the delivered insulin passes into the fetus, in order to reduce its concentration, the cells of the fetal pancreas produce more insulin. Pancreatic islet cell hypertrophy is rare in the fetus. After birth, the newborn does not receive as much glucose as possible, yet his pancreas still produces a lot of insulin.

Then, hypoglycaemia may occur, which has a dangerous effect on the development of nerve cells in the newborn. Such complications arise in women with untreated or undetected gestational diabetes. During adolescence, children whose mother had diabetes during pregnancy are more likely to develop glucose intolerance, type 2 diabetes, and are overweight and obese.

What are the effects of obesity? Read: 10 health effects of obesity

Content from the site medTvoiLokony they are intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and his doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website.