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How To Manage Diabetes During Pregnancy

Posted at March 15th, 2023 | Categorised in Manage Diabetes

How To Manage Diabetes During Pregnancy – Ellen Seely, MD is the director of clinical research for the division of endocrinology, diabetes and hypertension at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Women who develop diabetes during pregnancy, also known as gestational diabetes (GDM), may require high-risk pregnancy management due to complications that can occur during pregnancy and delivery. Women with GDM have an increased risk of preeclampsia, a condition that leads to pregnancy-induced hypertension. Preeclampsia is a serious condition that can lead to premature birth. Women with gestational diabetes also have an increased risk of having a cesarean section.

How To Manage Diabetes During Pregnancy

GDM is a type of diabetes that only develops during pregnancy. It occurs in the second half of pregnancy and disappears after delivery. Obesity is one of the major risk factors for GDM. In the United States, most public health centers screen all women for gestational diabetes. This is because obesity is becoming very common in the population. It is estimated that 5% of all pregnancies are complicated by GDM. The rate of GDM is much higher in Hispanic and non-Caucasian populations, reaching 10 to 20 percent of pregnancies.

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The main treatment for GDM is to control the mother’s blood sugar levels with lifestyle changes, such as a healthy diet and physical activity. In about 60-75% of women with GDM, lifestyle changes are effective in controlling blood sugar levels. If lifestyle changes don’t work, insulin therapy is started to control the mother’s blood sugar for the rest of the pregnancy.

GDM disappears after pregnancy, but the health risks to mother and baby continue. Studies show that 50 to 70 percent of women with gestational diabetes will later develop type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that babies born to mothers with GDM can have higher birth weights and become obese in their teens, the which can increase the risk of developing diabetes and other conditions such as high blood pressure. Dr. Seely points out that even though women who have had gestational diabetes face an increased future risk for type 2 diabetes, they can take steps to reduce that risk.

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Managing Diabetes Before, During, And After Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a beautiful journey in life, especially for women who have longed to have children. It is a wonderful yet powerful process in which a woman undergoes many changes both physically and mentally. A woman’s body undergoes many changes as she prepares to give birth. Because of these changes, pregnant women may experience common pregnancy symptoms such as chest pain, nausea, vomiting, changes in breast size and shape, abdominal cramps, petechiae, and fatigue, which can be felt as early as 4 weeks after conception. Most of these symptoms are caused by normal hormonal changes after pregnancy, but many women also experience hormonal imbalances during pregnancy. While most of these imbalances are temporary, they must be diagnosed and treated in a timely manner to eliminate any life-threatening risk to the mother or baby. One such condition caused by hormonal imbalance during pregnancy is gestational diabetes. In this article, we’ll take a look at what gestational diabetes is, its symptoms, causes and risk factors, and how to manage it effectively so it doesn’t cause further harm to you or your baby.

Gestational diabetes is a condition where diabetes is first diagnosed in pregnant women. It occurs when hormones produced by the placenta (the organ that supplies nutrition and oxygen to a growing baby) interfere with the body’s natural ability to use insulin effectively. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that plays an important role in lowering blood sugar levels and converting it into energy. When the body is unable to produce or respond to insulin, blood sugar levels can spike, which can lead to pregnancy complications.

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In most cases, there may not be any obvious signs of gestational diabetes as there are very few symptoms that closely resemble those of pregnancy, so it can be difficult to identify early on. However, if you have a combination of the following gestational diabetes symptoms, it’s a good idea to see your doctor early to get these or any other symptoms checked:

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It is important to note that tiredness, nausea and frequent urination are also very common symptoms of pregnancy. However, one of the most obvious and obvious symptoms of diabetes is blurred vision (the inability to see fine, precise details, including sharpness and focus in the field of vision). Both long-term and short-term diabetes can cause blurred vision in patients. However, you may have high sugar levels at first with no obvious symptoms.

One of the main causes of gestational diabetes is hormonal changes. During pregnancy, a woman’s body develops the placenta, an organ that delivers oxygen and nutrients to the fetus and removes waste products from the blood.

In most cases, the pancreas can release enough insulin to deal with this hormonal overload. However, in some cases, these placental hormones can prevent insulin from working properly. This is known as insulin resistance. As pregnancy progresses, the placenta grows and produces more hormones, further increasing the risk of insulin resistance. When the body can’t make enough insulin, extra glucose builds up in the body, leading to gestational diabetes. GDM usually occurs at term and can be diagnosed around 20-24 weeks of pregnancy. Depending on the individual case, it can be diagnosed in early or late pregnancy.

In addition to the factors mentioned above, dietary habits and nutrition are equally important factors in gestational diabetes. If a pregnant woman’s usual diet is unhealthy or out of balance before conception, it can lead to gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Whether you are pregnant or not, a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle can prevent many diseases during and during pregnancy.

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Now that you understand what gestational diabetes is, let’s move on to diagnosing and treating the condition.

If you have any of the symptoms mentioned above or any of the factors mentioned above that put you at risk of developing the condition, it is best to consult your doctor for immediate treatment and preventive measures to prevent serious complications during childbirth. Most hormonal imbalances that occur during pregnancy usually resolve on their own after the baby is born, and in most women, gestational diabetes disappears after delivery. However, it’s very important to understand that half of women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy will develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Therefore, it is recommended that you get tested more often for possible changes in your blood sugar levels.

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) – This is the main diagnostic test for gestational diabetes (also used to test for type 2 diabetes) and shows how well your body can break down or process the sugar in food. They can determine whether you are at risk of developing the condition or if you already have it. The OGTT is a simple blood test taken after an 8 to 12 hour fast. Blood is taken in the morning before breakfast. This is done to test initial blood sugar levels. You will then be asked to consume a sweet drink which is a mixture of glucose and water. The next glucose tolerance test will be done after 2 hours (or up to 4 times at different time intervals depending on the case), in which the nurse will draw more blood to see how your body processes sugar.

Doctors also diagnose gestational diabetes through high blood sugar detected in screening tests such as fasting blood glucose or random blood glucose, which may be recommended several times during pregnancy, and oral glucose tolerance test, which is the most common test. important during pregnancy. diabetes.

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Fasting blood sugar test: Test your blood sugar on an empty stomach. Do not eat or drink anything but water for 8 hours until tested. The nurse will take blood from a vein in your arm for further testing.

Random Blood Glucose Test – RBS

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