Getting to Know Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes, otherwise known as intolerance to glucose during a pregnancy is a very common ailment that many pregnant women are forced to go through. It is estimated that at least 1 in 10 women will experience this while pregnant. There are certain risk factors that cause the likelihood of the disease to go up, though no one is completely immune to having it happen. Some of the risk factors include: high blood pressure, history of miscarriages, having children at an older age, giving birth to a very large baby in the past, and a family history of diabetes.

Even if you do not have any of the risk factors, every pregnant woman is given a test after the 24th week of pregnancy to determine whether or not they are being affected. If you are pregnant but you haven’t yet taken your glucose tolerance test, here are some symptoms to watch for. If you experience any of the symptoms, talk to your doctor about it right away so that you can begin to eat the way that you need to in order to provide the best care for yourself and your baby.

• Fatigue: Being tired while pregnant is a pretty normal symptom, but if you are even more tired than you would expect, there may be something else wrong.

• Increased Thirst: Again, all pregnant women should be experiencing an increased thirst, but if you notice a sudden increase, and are unable to quench your thirst, talk to your healthcare provider. An increased thirst will also lead to increased urination, which is another symptom.

• Nausea and Vomiting: While these symptoms are very common during the first trimester, when the majority of women experience morning sickness, they are usually cleared up by the second and third trimesters. If your nausea and vomiting carry on past week 18 or so, you should definitely get it checked out.

• Weight Loss: During the 1st trimester a little weight loss is perfectly normal, but by the time your second trimester rolls around, you should begin gaining weight. If you aren’t gaining by this point, then it is imperative that you let your doctor know. Some women feel flattered if they don’t gain weight during pregnancy, but it is very unhealthy, and can have horrible side effects for both you and the baby.

Treatment for gestational diabetes usually requires meeting with a nutritionist to make sure that you can adapt your diet in order to keep yourself and the baby as healthy as possible. Scheduled exercise times will also help your body to get through this time. Though running during pregnancy isn’t a good solution for everyone, you can still exercise by walking or doing some other low-impact activity! If you choose not to treat your diabetes, you will be at very high risk for having a c-section, because babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are in general a lot heavier at birth, making natural delivery impossible in some cases.

Luckily, the majority of the time, as soon as the baby is born, you will not suffer any other side effects of the gestational diabetes and you can resume your normal eating and exercise habits. Since gestational diabetes is a very temporary condition, usually only affecting women for about 5 months or so, just be glad that you don’t have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and take care of yourself so that they never develop!

About the Author

Emma Green Emma Green is a resident of Southern Utah. She is passionate about dogs, and health. You can visit Emma on her blog at emergencyfoodstorage101.com, or on Google+. Feel free to contact her with any questions at emmagreenie@live.com