Causes of Gestational Diabetes are various factors as this condition occurs when your blood sugar levels become high during pregnancy. Gestational Diabetes is a type of diabetes that appears between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.
Developing Gestational Diabetes doesn’t mean you already had diabetes before you got pregnant. The condition appears because of the pregnancy. Women with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes have their own, separate challenges when it comes to pregnancy.
In pregnancy, gestational diabetes occurs when your body cannot produce enough insulin. Your pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that acts as a key to allowing blood sugar into your cells for energy.
The body produces more hormones and undergoes other changes during pregnancy, such as weight gain. Cells in your body become less effective at using insulin as a result of these changes, resulting in insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes your body require more insulin.
It is normal for pregnant women to have some insulin resistance during late pregnancy. Some women have insulin resistance before becoming pregnant. During pregnancy, they require more insulin and are more likely to have gestational diabetes.
Gestational Diabetes does not usually cause any symptoms. However, some women may experience:
Even though any woman can develop Gestational Diabetes during pregnancy, some of the factors that may increase the risk include the following:
To diagnose Gestational Diabetes, your doctor will test your blood sugar during pregnancy. The test may have two parts including:
Specific treatment for gestational diabetes will be determined by your doctor based on expectations for the course of the disease, age overall well-being, medical history, and the extent of the disease. Treatments may also depend on your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies. Treatment for gestational diabetes focuses on keeping blood glucose levels in the normal range this may include:
Before taking any medications, it is important to consult your doctor first for appropriate dosage, especially during pregnancy.