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By DiabetesTreatments, September 13, 2011 9:51 am

A number of women will develop a type of diabetes when they are pregnant; this is known as gestational diabetes. It is usually temporary, and blood sugar levels usually return to normal after child birth. However gestational diabetes tends to affect about 4% of pregnant women, especially in women who have risk factors for diabetes like obesity and heredity.

It is thought that some of the pregnancy hormones are the cause of gestational diabetes. The hormones can reduce a woman’s receptivity to insulin and this can result in higher blood sugar levels. Moreover, the hormones that help in the development of the placenta and baby may block the action of insulin in the mother’s body. This is what is known as insulin resistance.
When it comes to insulin and the amount needed by a pregnant woman to remove glucose from the body and transform it to energy, it should be three times as much as normal. So if the mother is suffering from insulin resistance, gestational diabetes can develop.

Effects on baby

Sometimes, gestational diabetes affects the mother and baby in late pregnancy too. While insulin does not cross placenta, glucose and other nutrients do. A baby can develop high glucose levels if the glucose passes through the placenta.

The baby’s pancreas then have to create more insulin to get rid of this excess glucose and this puts a strain on them. The extra energy the baby receives can be stored as fat leading to high birth weights. Problems that these babies can suffer from include hypoglycemia and breathing problems.

Treating the condition

As gestational diabetes can harm both the pregnant woman and baby, once diagnosed, the right care and treatment has to be adapted. The emphasis in treatment here lies in maintaining normal blood glucose levels. This is possible by following a healthy and planned diet with some physical activities.
The woman will have to have her blood glucose levels tested and she may require insulin injections.

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