A pregnant woman may not notice gestational diabetes symptoms, but a doctor can tell from blood tests whether or not her body is unable to regulate its blood sugar. Gestational diabetes can be carefully managed and result in a healthy baby; however, women who don't control their blood sugar well can end up with complications as a result. When blood glucose levels are not regulated, the baby experiences accelerated growth, making delivery risky and increasing the likelihood of a Cesarean section.
How Does Gestational Diabetes Develop?
Overactive placental hormones trigger gestational diabetes. In a non-pregnant woman, the pancreas produces insulin, which helps to move glucose to the cells for burning. When a woman is pregnant, the placenta creates more hormones, especially some that interfere with making insulin. The imbalance in the body leads to higher blood sugar levels. A pregnant woman's pancreas should produce extra insulin to compensate. When a woman's pancreas cannot make enough to keep the blood sugar levels regulated, the result is gestational diabetes.
Symptoms Of Gestational Diabetes
A pregnant woman usually has no outward gestational diabetes symptoms. Often, the only way the condition is identified is from a blood glucose test, taken at the doctor's office. Gestational diabetes testing usually requires the woman to fast for eight hours before the test, and then blood is drawn and tested. Sometimes, she must ingest a sugary drink a few hours before the blood draw. Gestational diabetes may also trigger increased blood pressure, which will also be discovered upon standard testing at the doctor's office.
Treatments For Gestational Diabetes
When a woman has gestational diabetes, she should work closely with the doctor and probably a dietitian. Pregnant women with gestational diabetes are monitored more frequently and given plenty of gestational diabetes information to act upon. Setting up a meal plan is one of the first steps. Eating the right foods can assist in keeping the glucose levels of the blood within an acceptable range. Examples of a diabetic meal plan include scheduling several smaller meals throughout the day, reducing carbohydrates and increasing fiber. In extreme cases, women may need to take insulin shots to regulate blood glucose levels.
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