Gestational Diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs in women at the time of their pregnancy. This is like the other two types of diabetes, as gestational diabetes causes your cells to absorb less sugar, leading to high blood sugar levels, which can impact your overall pregnancy and your baby’s health.
Gayness advises all pregnant mothers to control their sugar levels by eating the healthy food, exercising, and taking medication as and when declared by the doctor. This is imperative as it will help your baby be healthy and lead to a less-complicated delivery. In most cases, gestational diabetes is gone soon after the baby is delivered; however, in some instances, it might increase your chances of getting Type 2 diabetes.
In many pregnant cases, many hormones can cause the issue of insulin resistance as they interfere with how insulin works, thereby making it hard for the mother to use the insulin. This leads to a process of creating three times more insulin. Gestational diabetes can also be caused due to incapacity of the mother’s body to make and use all the insulin as and when needed for pregnancy.
Highlighted below are some of the risk factors that may cause gestational diabetes:
- Overweight and obese
- Physical Inactivity
- Prediabetics
- Gestational Diabetes in a previous pregnancy
- PCOS
- High Blood Pressure
- Heart Diseases
What is the impact of Gestational Diabetes?
Gestational diabetes, when not managed and treated carefully, can lead to high sugar levels, causing complications at the time of delivery and risk to your baby’s health. Gestational diabetes might increase the risk of the following for your baby:
- Excessive birth weight
- Premature Delivery
- Stillbirth or early death after the birth of the baby
- Respiratory issues
- Hypoglycemia
- Higher chances of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes in later years of life
Gestational diabetes may also increase the risk of the following factors for the mother:
- High blood pressure
- Preeclampsia
- Surgical delivery
- Future Diabetes
How to prevent Gestational Diabetes?
Gynecologists recommend adopting and following healthy habits to prevent gestational diabetes, some of them having been highlighted below:
Increased Consumption of Healthy Foods
Eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will help you to stay healthy and energetic as they help you achieve your goals without compromising taste or nutrition.
Keep active
Having an exercise routine before and during the pregnancy can provide you with protection against gestational diabetes.
Maintain a Healthy Weight during Pregnancy
It is essential to maintain a healthy weight during your lifetime and, even more, to have a healthy weight during pregnancy. Eating habits combined with some physical activity will help you achieve your weight goal.
Follow the Doctors Advise on Weight Gain
It is normal to gain weight during pregnancy; however, monitoring the weight and consultations with the nutritionist about diet and weight will help you protect from gestational diabetes.
Disclaimer: This blog has been written after performing in-depth secondary research related to the topic from various articles, blogs, and journals with expertise in writing for healthcare. The content presented on this page should not be considered a substitute for medical expertise. We advise you to book an appointment with the dentist for any doubts about dental care.
