Understanding Gestational Diabetes
At some point in their pregnancy, often around the 24th week, some women develop a condition called gestational diabetes. This illness is the result of the body's inability to properly absorb glucose, which causes it to remain in the bloodstream and raise blood sugar levels to a dangerous degree. Failure to manage the high blood sugar associated with gestational diabetes can lead to serious medical complications for both mother and child, including life-threatening problems like eclampsia. This means proper medical care throughout the remainder of pregnancy is vital, and should never be delayed or avoided.
For most women with gestational diabetes, controlling blood sugar means changing their diet, taking insulin, and increasing exercise. By sticking to a carefully constructed diet and lifestyle plan, women with gestational diabetes can minimize the health risks associated with the condition during pregnancy. Just as importantly, they can also reduce the likelihood that they or their unborn child will experience type 2 diabetes later in life.
Post-Delivery Type 2 Diabetes
For a women to be considered a gestational diabetic, she must not have had high blood sugar before pregnancy. If a woman has diabetes before getting pregnant, and continues to have it throughout gestation, she simply has standard type 1 or type 2 diabetes. If a woman has type 1 or type 2 diabetes during pregnancy, she'll likely continue to have the condition after giving birth. However, for women with gestational diabetes, the opposite is often true.
After giving birth, the hormones that cause insulin resistance and gestational diabetes begin to leave the body. For many women, this means a return to normal blood sugar levels. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, if a woman reaches a healthy weight after pregnancy her chances of developing type 2 diabetes are only 1 in 4.
However, even if your diabetes goes away after delivery, you're still at risk of having type 2 diabetes later in life. You're also likely to develop gestational diabetes again if you become pregnant. This means that you'll always have to be vigilant for warning signs of diabetes, and will need to carefully monitor your risk factors for diabetes. For most women, this involves keeping an eye on your diet, letting your physician check your blood sugar periodically, and making sure you exercise at least 30 minutes, five days a week.
There's also another important reason to stay healthy after experiencing gestational diabetes: your child. Infants born to mothers with gestational diabetes have a greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. If they're girls, they're also at risk of having gestational diabetes if they ever bear children. By modeling healthy eating and lifestyle choices for your child, you'll help them build the strong foundation they need to live well and avoid diabetes.
Learning More About Gestational and Type 2 Diabetes
Sometimes, even the best preventative measures won't keep gestational diabetes from turning into type 2. But with hard work and medical support, you can minimize side effects and stay as healthy as possible for you and your family.
If you think you might have gestational diabetes, or have had gestational diabetes in the past and are concerned about developing type 2, make an appointment with your family physician. They'll be happy to answer any questions you have, as well as teach you strategies you can use to stay healthy.