Thursday, June 2, 2016

Gestational Diabetes

Continuing in the vein of diabetes awareness; next up on the roster is Gestational Diabetes.

You don't have to have diabetes prior to pregnancy to develop gestational diabetes and it could likely resolve once the pregnancy is done.  This issue occurs when the placental hormones block insulin activity in the mother's body with the resulting hyperglycemia.  The extra glucose transfers through the placenta, causing the baby to have high blood sugar as well.  The extra insulin the baby creates in defense against the high blood sugar gets stored as fat and could cause higher risk for obesity and Type 2 diabetes as adults.

Treatment for gestational diabetes is close monitoring of blood sugar through food intake and a regular exercise schedule as well as medications or insulin injections.

Women with gestational diabetes do have a higher chance of developing Type 2 later so it's important to keep on top of blood sugar status. 

Source: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/ 

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