Gestational Diabetes (cont.)
Who Is At Risk for Gestational Diabetes?
These factors put you at high risk of developing diabetes during
pregnancy:
- Being overweight prior to becoming pregnant (if you
are 20% or more over your ideal body weight)
- Being a member of high risk ethnic group (Hispanic,
black, Native American, or Asian)
- Having glucose in your urine
- Impaired glucose tolerance or impair fasting glucose
(blood glucose levels are high, but not high enough to be diabetes)
- Family history of diabetes (if your parents or
siblings have diabetes)
- Previously giving birth to a baby over 9 pounds
- Previously giving birth to a stillborn baby
- Having gestational diabetes with a previous pregnancy
- Having too much amniotic fluid (a condition called
polyhydramnios)
Half of women who develop gestational diabetes have no known risk
factors.
How Is Gestational Diabetes Diagnosed?
High risk women should be screened for gestational diabetes as early as
possible during their pregnancies. All other women will be screened
between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy.
To screen for gestational diabetes, you will take a test called the oral
glucose tolerance test. This test involves quickly drinking a sweetened
liquid, which contains 50g of glucose. The body absorbs this glucose
rapidly, causing blood glucose levels to rise within 30-60 minutes. A
blood sample will be taken from a vein in your arm 1 hour after drinking
the solution. The blood test measures how the glucose solution was
metabolized (processed by the body).
A blood glucose greater than or equal to 140mg/dl is recognized as
abnormal. A formal test will then be done after fasting for several
hours.
In women at high risk of developing gestational diabetes, a normal
screening test result is followed up with another screening test at
24-48 weeks for confirmation of the diagnosis.
How Is Gestational Diabetes Managed?
Gestational diabetes is managed by:
- Monitoring your blood glucose levels four times per
day (before breakfast and 2 hours after meals. Monitoring your blood glucose
before all meals may also become necessary).
- Monitoring your urine for ketones (an acid that
indicates your diabetes isn't under control).
- Following specific dietary guidelines as instructed
by your doctor. You'll be asked to distribute your calories evenly throughout
the day.
- Exercising after obtaining your health care
provider's permission
- Monitoring your weight gain
- Taking insulin, if necessary. Insulin is currently
the only diabetes medication used during pregnancy
- Controlling hypertension.
Next: Do I need to take insulin? »
- insulin - Establishes the medication insulin, a drug used for the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
- Amniocentesis - Learn about amniocentesis, a procedure that examines the chromosomes of the fetus to determine lung maturity, and the possiblities of birth defects.
- Diabetes - Learn about type 1 and 2 diabetes (Diabetes Mellitus) symptoms including increased urination, thirst, weight loss, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, skin infections, and blurred vision. Causes and diagnosis information is provided in the information.
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