What is Gestational Diabetes?

Signs, Symptoms, Treatment and Diagnosis

What is gestational diabetes? Pregnant women, without a prior diabetes diagnosis, who test positive for elevated blood glucose (sugar) are considered to have the condition.

There are approximately 135,000 cases in the United States each year, or roughly 4% of all pregnancies (some estimates suggest the occurrence is up to 8% of all pregnancies).

Scientists do not know what causes this type of diabetes. Nonetheless, doctors believe the hormones produced during pregnancy seem to increase a woman's resistance to insulin, blocking a cell's absorption of glucose from the blood.

Glucose is the sugar in the blood that delivers energy to the body. When this glucose transfer does not occur, glucose builds up in the blood causing hyperglycemia.

There are very few signs or symptoms, thus most woman are diagnosed through routine pregnancy screening. Diabetes Diagnosis is done through a specialized blood test. There are some hints or signs of the condition worth noting.

The National Institute of Health has put together a checklist worth reviewing.

• You have a parent, brother or sister with diabetes.
• You are African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, or Pacific Islander.
• You are 25 years old or older.
• You are overweight.
• You have had the condition before, or have given birth to at least one baby weighing more than 9 pounds.
• You have pre-diabetes.

If you checked any of these risk factors, talk to your doctor about ataking a screening test.

It is important to treat the disease properly. If left untreated, diabetes complications can affect a baby by causing it to grow larger than normal, commonly referred to as macrosomia or "fat baby". Childbirth may also be more difficult for the mom and the child if the baby develops macrosomia. Breathing problems are also possible as is an increased risk of childhood obesity and adult type 2 diabetes.

Controlling diabetes is done through a combination of exercise, healthy diet, and possibly insulin treatments.

After birth, the gestational diabetes usually goes away. However, once a woman has had the disease, her chances are 2 in 3 that she will have it again during her next pregnancy. Moreover, she has a much greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Thus, losing weight, healthy food choices and getting regular exercise should be a priority. Even slight changes in these three areas can significantly reduce or eliminate a woman's chance of developing diabetes later in life.