What is Gestational Diabetes?
This is a type of diabetes that develops for the first time during pregnancy. It can effect up to 14% of women. Diabetes occurs when the body cannot produce enough of the hormone insulin. Insulin is made ib the pancreas and has a couple of jobs.
- It regulates the amount of sugar available in your blood for energy
- It enables the sugar that is not needed in the body to be stored.
In pregnancy your body has to produce extra insulin to meet the needs of your baby. If your body has trouble doing this then you will have too much sugar in your blood, you may then develop gestational diabetes. Symptoms of gestational diabetes can include tiredness, thirst, blurred vision and passing lots of urine.
The main problem in pregnancy is too much sugar in your blood passing across to the baby which can mean the baby will grow larger than normal. After birth your baby may suffer with low blood sugar level and jaundice. Your baby will need feeding soon after birth too help lift the blood sugar levels.
If you are suspected of having gestational diabetes in pregnancy you will most likely be sent for a GTT (glucose tolerance test). Most commonly this is a couple of blood tests or alternatively urine tests. Gestational diabetes usually subsides after pregnancy and your sugar levels return to normal.
During pregnancy try to eat a healthy diet and take gentle regular exercise, this can help avoid developing gestational diabetes.
