Pregnancy and Gestational Diabetes

About four percent of pregnant women will develop gestational diabetes during their pregnancies, according to TypeFree.com - an online resource for information about diabetes. In many cases, the diabetes will go away after the woman has given birth. However, about two thirds of the women who develop gestational diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes later on in life. Here are some facts about gestational diabetes that everyone should be aware of when pregnant or if they have been diagnosed with the condition:

Why some women get gestational diabetes:

Not all women will get gestational diabetes. However, for those women who do develop the condition, it is important that they get treatment right away to avoid long-term damage to their babies and to themselves. Gestational diabetes is caused because of hormonal changes in the woman's body. When these hormonal changes occur, she may be less sensitive to insulin. If she is less sensitive to insulin, her body will not break foods down properly, as they did when she did not have gestational diabetes.

With gestational diabetes, both normal weight and overweight women may develop the condition. However, it is more common in overweight women. Women also need to be aware that just because the mother has gestational diabetes does not mean that baby will develop diabetes. The baby will, however, has high glucose levels because the high glucose levels are passed from the mother to the baby through the placenta, according to TypeFree.com.

Effects of gestational diabetes on the baby

Even though the baby will not necessarily have diabetes just because the mother has gestational diabetes, the baby's pancreas will need to produce more insulin to break down the elevated blood glucose level that is passed from the mother to the fetus. The cells will then turn the glucose into fat, which the baby will store on its body. Therefore, babies who are born to mothers with gestational diabetes are often fatter than other babies - often weighing at least 10 pounds or more, according to American Diabetes Association.

Symptoms of diabetes:

There are many symptoms of diabetes that can provide warning signs to diabetics or pre-diabetics. Some of these symptoms include:

• Thirst, even when well-hydrated

• Frequent urge to urinate

• Vision problems

• Fatigue

• Nausea

Tips for avoiding type 2 diabetes:

Because women who have had gestational diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, it is important that they take steps to pay attention to their health. By losing weight, making wise food choices, and exercising, women who have or have had gestational diabetes can help to avoid developing type 2 diabetes. Women should not be more than 20 percent over their ideal body weight and they should limit their daily fat consumption to fewer than 30 percent of their total calories. 30 minutes of exercise a day can also go a long way in preventing the development of type 2 diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Sources:

http://www.imtypefree.com/Gestational-Diabetes.html

http://www.diabetes.org/gestational-diabetes.jsp