Understanding Gestational Diabetes
Gestational Diabetes, affecting only some pregnant women
Gestational diabetes is a temporary diabetic condition that affects only a small percentage of pregnant women, estimated to occur in about 5 to 8 out of every one hundred pregnancies. In the United States, it is more often found in pregnant women of African American, Hispanic American, and native aboriginal American descent. Like type-2 diabetes, another and permanent form of diabetes, it is often diagnosed in women who are significantly overweight. And a family history of diabetes is also an increased risk factor.
Like other forms of diabetes, gestational diabetes is a condition that develops gradually and is diagnosed when higher than normal blood sugar levels occur in the body, not a good situation for mother or developing child. Like other routine screening tests performed at various times during pregnancy, the test for diabetes is often automatically performed at about week 26 of a pregnancy — although if there are known to be associated higher risk factors, the test would be made at a much earlier stage.
Glucose, the sugar in the blood, essential for the body’s cells
For everyone, the cells of our bodies need sugar, a source of fuel for the body’s cells that is required to perform their metabolic activities that sustain life. The simple form of sugar in the blood, called glucose, enters the bloodstream after the digestion of foods that are consumed throughout the day. It is the carbohydrate portion of the food items eaten that is the major source of the sugars.
An explanation of the process, common to all forms of diabetes
To describe what happens in non-scientific terms, it involves a multi-step process within the body. When glucose enters the bloodstream from the digestive tract after eating food, a signal is generated that prompts the release of a hormone called insulin, also into the blood stream, from the pancreas, an organ in the body.
The insulin then acts as an intermediary between the glucose and the receptors that are on the outside of the cells that need the glucose. The insulin facilitates the entry of glucose into those cells. In this way, insulin acts like a key that unlocks the door to the cells, allowing the glucose to enter. Without the insulin, or if the cells become resistant to the insulin, the glucose stays in the blood and continues to circulate.
In gestational diabetes
The gestational diabetes condition occurs when the system that normally allows the glucose in the blood to be absorbed by the cells, in the way described above, becomes impaired. The reason for this is not fully understood but it may be because of the production of hormones in the placenta that supplies nutrients to the fetus. It is thought that the placenta’s hormones interfere with the activities that allow insulin to aid the cells to absorb glucose from the blood and perhaps creating an insulin resistance by the cells of the body.
Treating gestational diabetes
The medical professionals are well versed in the management of the diabetic condition. As in most cases of diabetes, a first line of treatment is to adopt a suitable diabetic diet tailored to the nutritional needs of the pregnant mother and baby. A health-care dietitian is often available to consult with on this. Some form of exercise or physical activity may be recommended, another normal pillar of general diabetes treatment. There may also be prescription medications necessary, or perhaps the administration of insulin n a few cases. The good news is that the gestational diabetes condition usually disappears when the baby is born.
The gestational diabetes diet
The objective is to achieve normal blood sugar levels, or blood sugar levels that are as close to normal as possible throughout the day while providing a nutritious and balanced diet that meets the personal tastes and preferences of the mother-to-be. The diet will limit the foods that contribute the greatest amount of simple sugars that can too quickly be delivered to the bloodstream, foods such as the sweet and sugared cakes and pastries or the high sugar content “soft” drinks.
The frequency and timing of meals may be factor. The usual recommendation to all diabetics is to have three or four small meals each day with snacks in between in accordance with the instructions of the dietitian and the requirements of the diabetic meal plan.
In conclusion
The scientific knowledge and medical skills of the modern day world are available to the healthcare team that will monitor and manage the pregnancy, including any gestational diabetes that may occur. This will result in a successful pregnancy that ends with the happiest of experiences and the joy of the arrival of the new baby. The gestational diabetes usually then ends and it’s time to celebrate.
