Gestational diabetes (GD) usually occurs in late pregnancy when the hormones triggered by the placenta are strong enough to affect the glucose metabolism. It’s important to control your blood sugar during pregnancy if you’re diagnosed with the condition, otherwise this would be dangerous for you and your baby.
The underlying issue of gestational diabetes
All pregnant women need to take a screening test for GD. In general, this test is performed at 24th to 28th week of pregnancy. But if you had GD in your previous pregnancy, your chance of getting it for the second time is higher and therefore your doctor may ask you to take the test before 13th week of pregnancy. The earlier time of taking the test is probably also recommended for women with other risk factors of GD.
The placenta is the key of the reason. Some studies found that the production of many pregnancy hormones triggered by the placenta may affect the insulin response, making insulin resistance during pregnancy more likely.
If your insulin respond is lower than normal, your body cannot regulate the level of your blood glucose optimally. In other words, you are relatively easier to have an increased blood sugar.
Therefore, it is very important to keep closely monitoring your blood sugar if you have GD during pregnancy. For this reason, you need to stick with healthy practices, eating right, and getting plenty of exercise to keep active.
Sometimes (if necessary) your doctor also prescribes some insulin replacements to help your body for blood sugar control.
What can gestational do to your baby?
This health metabolic condition affects about 3% to 5 % of all pregnancies! This means ‘you are not alone’ if your doctor says that you have the condition.
Many times, it can be managed successfully. Most patients are able to cope with the problem by following comprehensive treatment plan. In other words, most of them can have healthy pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby – as noted before.
You may not be able to get rid of GD during pregnancy, but again it can be managed. And the good news, it usually will go away naturally after pregnancy.
As long as you can control your blood sugar as well during pregnancy, your risk of pregnancy complications due to GD can be eliminated. On the other hand, if it’s poorly controlled or left untreated, it could be very harmful for your baby.
With this metabolic condition, your pancreas works harder to create more insulin in order to reduce and help the absorption of glucose in the bloodstream. This occurs due to the decreased insulin sensitivity. Poor insulin respond cannot work effectively to absorb glucose from the bloodstream.
The decreased insulin respond may not directly affect your baby, but your blood containing high glucose may go through your placenta!
If this occurs, it can be too risky for the growth and development of your baby during pregnancy. If the pancreas organ of your baby has formed, the baby’s pancreas will respond the problem by also producing lots of insulin to lower the blood sugar. What’s more?
What are risks to baby and mother with diabetes in pregnancy ?
Do you need to be induced at 38 weeks
There should be nothing to worry as long as the blood sugar level is controlled as well – it’s much better to work with your doctor for more comprehensive guidance.
Complications from uncontrolled high blood sugar during pregnancy can vary. In babies, this may cause; excessive birth weight, early (preterm) birth, low blood sugar shortly after birth, and would increase their risk of developing type-2 diabetes later in life.
In mothers, this may cause hypertension, preeclampsia, and the risk of type-2 diabetes (in case if you’re not yet diagnosed with diabetes before pregnancy)
How about inducing labor? There are several factors to be considered before making this decision. One of them is when your pregnancy is approaching 2 weeks beyond your normal due date and your labor has not naturally started. But again this is a critical decision, talk to your doctor for more advice!