Gestational Diabetes Causes & Diagnosis

Gestational diabetes is attributed to increased glucose intolerance during pregnancy, which is the result of hormonal changes in the body. Pregnant women are most at risk of developing gestational diabetes in their third trimester, because that is when the hormones really run rampant.

Gestational diabetes occurs in about 4% of all pregnancies and is caused when women are unable to produce more insulin during pregnancy to counteract the effect of hormones that stop the action of insulin. These hormones are necessary to prevent the mother developing a blood sugar level low and they are produced by the placenta. Women who are therefore unable to compensate by producing more insulin will be diabetic during pregnancy.
The diagnosis of gestational Diabetes:
Women who are at high risk for gestational diabetes has to be protected as soon as possible in pregnancy. If you are not considered at high risk you should still be protected from the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy from gestational diabetes because if it occurs and  left untreated, it can cause serious birth defects in the fetus.

Diabetes Monitor test involves taking an oral glucose.Then you will be asked to drink quickly a sweet liquid containing 50g of glucose. Your body will quickly absorb glucose and blood sugar levels will rise within the next 30 minutes to an hour.Then you have to give a blood sample to be tested to see how much of the glucose was treated by your body. This will count how much insulin you are producing about and if you have diabetes. If test results are abnormal this does not mean immediately that you have diabetes, however require you to take another test to give a more definitive answer.

Posted in: Diabetes