Gestational Diabetes Risk Factors and Complications

Only about 4% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes and certain factors increase the risk of becoming part of this group. But at the same time, many women whom no risk factors still apply develop gestational diabetes. Keep under control the risk but still lower your chances of developing it.

Risk Factors:

• Being too heavy before becoming pregnant (20% or more over ideal body weight).
• Family history of diabetes
• Being Hispanic, black, Indian, or Asian (the certain ethnic groups are at higher risk of developing diabetes)
• Having given birth to a baby heavier than 9 pounds.
• Having given birth to a stillborn baby.
• Having had gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy.
• Having too much amniotic fluid.
• Exposure of glucose in your urine.
• Have high levels of glucose but not yet high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. 

Gestational Diabetes Complications
The fetus may develop birth defects if a woman develops diabetes early in pregnancy. Birth defects usually involve major organs like the heart, lungs and brain. There is also an increased risk for spontaneous abortion when the gestational diabetes develops early. When the onset of diabetes is later in pregnancy, the baby risks becoming too large can cause complications for delivery. If the baby is very large, and still is given for the birth canal, there is a risk of trauma to the child's shoulders.

As the fetus was connected to the supply of blood from the mother this experience very low levels of glucose in the blood after birth. No longer in contact with the mother, so it does not get high blood glucose more, but it does still have a high blood concentration of insulin.

You can easily deliver a healthy baby if you have gestational diabetes while you are diagnosed early and properly treated.

Posted in: Diabetes