What you should know about gestational diabetes
What you should know about gestational diabetes
When you think of diabetes, you probably think of people you know who have had it since childhood. Or, you may think of someone you know who developed it as an adult. But do you know there’s a form of diabetes that can develop in non-diabetic women during pregnancy? It’s called gestational diabetes, and it affects between 3 and 5 percent of all pregnant women but it can be more prevalent among certain groups (see causes and symptoms).
As with other forms of diabetes, gestational diabetes involves insulin, the hormone that is essential for the transport of digested sugars (carbohydrates) from the bloodstream into your body's cells. If you’re diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you may have plenty of insulin but the hormones produced by your placenta won’t allow the insulin to do its job. To counteract this, your pancreas will try to make extra insulin. But some women aren’t able to make enough to overcome the placenta’s hormones. If this happens, sugar builds up in your bloodstream and gestational diabetes results. Once your placenta is removed following delivery, insulin is able to do its job again, and your blood sugar levels return to normal.
Without proper treatment, the extra sugar in your bloodstream can cross the placenta and be detected by your baby’s body, which then produces more insulin and stores the extra sugar as fat. Over time, your baby gains more weight than normal, growing larger and putting you at higher risk for a Caesarian section. Gestational diabetes can lead to high blood pressure during pregnancy, and may result in a premature birth. Also, if your gestational diabetes is not controlled, your baby can develop low blood sugar levels after delivery. In most cases, his body will adjust and levels will return to normal, but if they drop too low, the hospital will have to give him a sugar solution intravenously. That’s why, if your doctor diagnoses you with gestational diabetes, it’s important to monitor your blood sugar levels throughout your pregnancy for the health of you and your baby.
In most cases, gestational diabetes disappears after delivery. However, a diagnosis does put you at a greater risk for developing it again during another pregnancy. It also increases your risk of developing adult-onset (Type II) diabetes. Type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It develops later in life and is usually controlled through diet and exercise. In some cases, people with Type II diabetes need to take a pill (oral hypoglycemic drugs) or, in rare cases, insulin, to control their high blood sugar levels. If you have had gestational diabetes, have your doctor check your blood sugar levels at each routine check-up.
Causes and symptoms
Although the exact cause of gestational diabetes is unknown, certain factors may increase your risk of getting it. These factors include, but are not limited to:
• Family history of diabetes
• Age 25 or older
• Obesity
• Hispanic, African American, Native American, Asian American, or Pacific Island descent
• Gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy
• Previous delivery of a high birth weight baby (9 lbs. or more)
Some women who have gestational diabetes don't even know they have it. But there are warning signs to look out for—such as increased urination, excessive thirst or hunger, and fatigue. If you experience these warning signs, they should be discussed with your doctor.
Since not all women experience symptoms, the American Diabetes Association recommends that pregnant women with risk factors for gestational diabetes be tested for it between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.
The screening test is relatively simple: it involves drinking a sugar solution and then having your blood tested about an hour later. If the sugar level in your blood is elevated, you'll be given another test in which you drink a sugar solution and then have your blood tested at various intervals over a few hours.
Treatment options: diet and exercise
If you find out you have gestational diabetes, the goal is to keep your blood sugar levels stable and within normal levels. In many cases, this can be done with diet and exercise.
Your diet doesn't need to be much different from the diet recommended for pregnant women in general—well-balanced and nutritious, with regular meals and snacks.
Once diagnosed, your doctor can refer you to a registered dietitian, who can recommend an individualized eating plan for your own specific needs, but here are some general dietary guidelines:
• Eat a balanced diet, with about 300 more calories a day than is recommended for you when you're not pregnant (This level is calculated based on a combination of your height and pre-pregnancy weight. It may be different for women who are underweight or overweight). Your registered dietitian can calculate your optimum caloric intake.
• Eat high-fiber foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.
• Choose complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice or whole-wheat bread, over refined carbohydrates, such as white rice or white bread.
• Choose low-fat foods, such as low-fat dairy products and lean cuts of meat, fish, and poultry.
• Limit foods high in added sugars.
• Eat meals that include foods from several different food groups (such as carbohydrates, protein, and fruits and vegetables).
• Eat a bedtime snack that includes a source of protein and carbohydrate, such as whole-grain crackers with low-fat cottage cheese, hummus, or peanut butter.
• Try not to gain more weight during your pregnancy than is recommended by your doctor.
In addition to diet, regular, moderate exercise will also help you keep your blood sugar levels stable. Before starting an exercise program, check with your doctor, making sure to ask about the frequency, duration, and intensity level that is right for you.
When diet and exercise aren't enough
If diet and exercise alone aren't enough to keep your blood sugar levels normal, your doctor may prescribe insulin injections.
You'll also be prescribed a blood glucose meter, which will allow you to test your own blood sugar levels at home. It's simple, quick, and relatively painless. Regularly checking your blood sugar levels each day will help you and your doctor make any necessary adjustments in your diet, exercise, and/or insulin treatment.
Where to go for more information
Once you're diagnosed, keep in close contact with the doctor or healthcare professional managing your gestational diabetes and ask for a referral to a registered dietitian, who can help you with a specific eating plan.
Remember that gestational diabetes can be successfully managed!
Contact the following organizations for more information:
American Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.org
American Dietetic Association
http://www.eatright.org
National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
http://www.nichd.nih.gov
Meals.com
http://www.meals.com
(Go to the search box and type in 'diabetes'.)
When you think of diabetes, you probably think of people you know who have had it since childhood. Or, you may think of someone you know who developed it as an adult. But do you know there’s a form of diabetes that can develop in non-diabetic women during pregnancy? It’s called gestational diabetes, and it affects between 3 and 5 percent of all pregnant women but it can be more prevalent among certain groups (see causes and symptoms).
As with other forms of diabetes, gestational diabetes involves insulin, the hormone that is essential for the transport of digested sugars (carbohydrates) from the bloodstream into your body's cells. If you’re diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you may have plenty of insulin but the hormones produced by your placenta won’t allow the insulin to do its job. To counteract this, your pancreas will try to make extra insulin. But some women aren’t able to make enough to overcome the placenta’s hormones. If this happens, sugar builds up in your bloodstream and gestational diabetes results. Once your placenta is removed following delivery, insulin is able to do its job again, and your blood sugar levels return to normal.
Without proper treatment, the extra sugar in your bloodstream can cross the placenta and be detected by your baby’s body, which then produces more insulin and stores the extra sugar as fat. Over time, your baby gains more weight than normal, growing larger and putting you at higher risk for a Caesarian section. Gestational diabetes can lead to high blood pressure during pregnancy, and may result in a premature birth. Also, if your gestational diabetes is not controlled, your baby can develop low blood sugar levels after delivery. In most cases, his body will adjust and levels will return to normal, but if they drop too low, the hospital will have to give him a sugar solution intravenously. That’s why, if your doctor diagnoses you with gestational diabetes, it’s important to monitor your blood sugar levels throughout your pregnancy for the health of you and your baby.
In most cases, gestational diabetes disappears after delivery. However, a diagnosis does put you at a greater risk for developing it again during another pregnancy. It also increases your risk of developing adult-onset (Type II) diabetes. Type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It develops later in life and is usually controlled through diet and exercise. In some cases, people with Type II diabetes need to take a pill (oral hypoglycemic drugs) or, in rare cases, insulin, to control their high blood sugar levels. If you have had gestational diabetes, have your doctor check your blood sugar levels at each routine check-up.
Causes and symptoms
Although the exact cause of gestational diabetes is unknown, certain factors may increase your risk of getting it. These factors include, but are not limited to:
• Family history of diabetes
• Age 25 or older
• Obesity
• Hispanic, African American, Native American, Asian American, or Pacific Island descent
• Gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy
• Previous delivery of a high birth weight baby (9 lbs. or more)
Some women who have gestational diabetes don't even know they have it. But there are warning signs to look out for—such as increased urination, excessive thirst or hunger, and fatigue. If you experience these warning signs, they should be discussed with your doctor.
Since not all women experience symptoms, the American Diabetes Association recommends that pregnant women with risk factors for gestational diabetes be tested for it between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.
The screening test is relatively simple: it involves drinking a sugar solution and then having your blood tested about an hour later. If the sugar level in your blood is elevated, you'll be given another test in which you drink a sugar solution and then have your blood tested at various intervals over a few hours.
Treatment options: diet and exercise
If you find out you have gestational diabetes, the goal is to keep your blood sugar levels stable and within normal levels. In many cases, this can be done with diet and exercise.
Your diet doesn't need to be much different from the diet recommended for pregnant women in general—well-balanced and nutritious, with regular meals and snacks.
Once diagnosed, your doctor can refer you to a registered dietitian, who can recommend an individualized eating plan for your own specific needs, but here are some general dietary guidelines:
• Eat a balanced diet, with about 300 more calories a day than is recommended for you when you're not pregnant (This level is calculated based on a combination of your height and pre-pregnancy weight. It may be different for women who are underweight or overweight). Your registered dietitian can calculate your optimum caloric intake.
• Eat high-fiber foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.
• Choose complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice or whole-wheat bread, over refined carbohydrates, such as white rice or white bread.
• Choose low-fat foods, such as low-fat dairy products and lean cuts of meat, fish, and poultry.
• Limit foods high in added sugars.
• Eat meals that include foods from several different food groups (such as carbohydrates, protein, and fruits and vegetables).
• Eat a bedtime snack that includes a source of protein and carbohydrate, such as whole-grain crackers with low-fat cottage cheese, hummus, or peanut butter.
• Try not to gain more weight during your pregnancy than is recommended by your doctor.
In addition to diet, regular, moderate exercise will also help you keep your blood sugar levels stable. Before starting an exercise program, check with your doctor, making sure to ask about the frequency, duration, and intensity level that is right for you.
When diet and exercise aren't enough
If diet and exercise alone aren't enough to keep your blood sugar levels normal, your doctor may prescribe insulin injections.
You'll also be prescribed a blood glucose meter, which will allow you to test your own blood sugar levels at home. It's simple, quick, and relatively painless. Regularly checking your blood sugar levels each day will help you and your doctor make any necessary adjustments in your diet, exercise, and/or insulin treatment.
Where to go for more information
Once you're diagnosed, keep in close contact with the doctor or healthcare professional managing your gestational diabetes and ask for a referral to a registered dietitian, who can help you with a specific eating plan.
Remember that gestational diabetes can be successfully managed!
Contact the following organizations for more information:
American Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.org
American Dietetic Association
http://www.eatright.org
National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
http://www.nichd.nih.gov
Meals.com
http://www.meals.com
(Go to the search box and type in 'diabetes'.)
