Health Tips

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus develops in women during pregnancy.

Two main reasons account for the development of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus:

First, major hormonal changes occur in the body during pregnancy. These changes increase the body’s requirement for insulin. If the pancreas is not strong enough to produce the increased amount of insulin needed during pregnancy, the chances increase for the development of this form of diabetes.

In addition, hormones secreted during pregnancy tend to decrease the effectiveness of insulin, leading to raised blood sugar levels. Nearly 2 to 5 percent of women who do not have pre-existing diabetes develop this form toward the end of the fourth month of their pregnancies.

In most cases, this ends when pregnancy is over. However, the very presence of diabetes during pregnancy indicates the inherent weakness of the blood sugar mechanism in these women that increases their chances of developing diabetes, usually type 2 diabetes, in the future.

Evidence shows that children born of mothers with this form of diabetes tend to become obese, and they are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in their teenage years.

Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes

The following are the symptoms of gestational diabetes.

• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Weight loss in spite of increased appetite
• Fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting
• Frequent infections including those of the bladder, vagina, and skin
• Blurred vision

Who is at Risk of Gestational Diabetes

The risk of developing gestational diabetes increases in pregnant women:

• Who are high risk candidates of type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
• Who are 25 years or older when they become pregnant.
• Who had gestational diabetes in the past or have a family history of gestational diabetes in their first degree relatives.
• Who gain abnormal weight during pregnancy (A weight gain of about 20 to 30 pounds in pregnancy is, however, normal).

Risk of Getting Gestational Diabetes

To learn your risk for gestational diabetes, check each item that applies to you. Talk with your doctor about your risk at your first prenatal visit.

I have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes.

I am African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic American, or Pacific Islander.

I am 25 years old or older.

I am overweight.

I have had gestational diabetes before, or I have given birth to at least one baby weighing more than 9 pounds.

I have been told that I have “pre-diabetes,” a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. Other names for it are “impaired glucose tolerance” and “impaired fasting glucose.”

If you checked any of these items, ask your health care team about testing for gestational diabetes.

You are at high risk if you are very overweight, have had gestational diabetes before, have a strong family history of diabetes, or have glucose in your urine.

You are at average risk if you checked one or more of the risk factors.

You are at low risk if you did not check any of the risk factors.