Definition
Gestational diabetes is the healing term for diabetes which is first diagnosed during pregnancy. This is because your growing baby, plus the hormones produced from your placenta, put extra strain on your body's quality to yield enough insulin, known technically as insulin resistance. So you need to yield much more insulin for it to be effective, and if your body isn't capable of producing enough, then gestational diabetes appears.
It's the only type of diabetes which might go away once your baby is born. I say 'might go away' because although the amount of insulin you need will ordinarily return to your pre-pregnancy needs after giving birth, you might have developed permanent Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes rather than gestational diabetes. It's impossible to say which type of diabetes you have developed or whether it's permanent until after your baby is born. A test called an oral glucose tolerance test, carried out a few weeks after the birth, will supply the answer.
Key fact
Even if the oral glucose tolerance test shows that gestational diabetes has disappeared after your pregnancy, gestational diabetes carries a vastly increased risk of developing permanent Type 2 diabetes in the future.
Treatment of Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is ordinarily diagnosed in the last few months of pregnancy, at about 28-30 weeks. Initially, it may be treated by food-related changes, such as reducing the amount of sugary foods and drinks you are having, decreasing meal sizes if significant and addition the amount of fruit and vegetables you eat. If food changes alone do not work, the next step is whether Metformin tablets, or more commonly, insulin injections. Whatever your treatment, you will be asked to test your own blood glucose levels using finger prick testing some times a day. You will also need to attend for more frequent ante-natal appointments to check that you and your baby are well.
Why is treatment important?
It's categorically important to operate your blood glucose levels during pregnancy, because excess glucose in your blood will cross your placenta and give your baby excess glucose too. This means that he or she will start to yield more insulin to combat it, and that means getting bigger too quickly. In turn, this means potentially a more difficult birth for both you and the baby.
Reducing the risk of permanent Type 2 diabetes in the future
If you have gestational diabetes or you had it in the past, you are more at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the future, but this is not inevitable. You can do a great deal for yourself after your baby is born to cut your risk of developing it or forestall it altogether. Here's how:
*Keep your weight in the ideal range for your height (body mass index of 20-25) and your waist estimation at or below 80cms. If this means losing weight, it's a good idea to get started as soon as possible, as the more weight you have to lose, the longer it can take. Losing weight will cut the amount of insulin your body needs to yield by decreasing your insulin resistance. Losing just 10% of your body weight will cut your risk of Type 2 diabetes immensely. Losing weight gradually and with small changes, rather than cutting out whole meals or food groups, is more likely to be successful.
*Become more active. This also decreases insulin resistance and helps with weight loss. A brisk walk for half an hour a day is enough to make a difference, but it doesn't have to be formal practice - any extra movement you can fit into your day will burn some extra calories.
*Reduce the amount of refined sugar and saturated fat that you eat, and instead eat more unrefined foods, including fruit, vegetables, cereals and pulses like lentils and beans. This will cut your wide calorie intake as well as holding your blood vessels healthy. For example, if you tend to eat fried foods or red meat, replace some portions of these with grilled or baked foods and leaner meats such as chicken or turkey. Also look for lower calorie and lower fat versions of the foods you ordinarily eat.
*Make sure you attend appointments for blood glucose tests and relate of the results when you are invited for them. Once you have had gestational diabetes, you should be in a regular system of checks - if you are not, spend in your future condition by reminding your Gp practice that you are in a high risk category for Type 2 diabetes.
Cereal For Diabetics :Gestational Diabetes - The Facts
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