Gestational diabetes is a temporary disease or a chronic disease?
Gestational diabetes is a temporary disease or a chronic disease?
Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a special type of diabetes that develops especially in women during pregnancy. This condition occurs when the pregnant woman’s body is unable to produce enough insulin, which is the hormone responsible for controlling the level of sugar in the blood, which leads to a rise in blood sugar, and gestational diabetes appears mostly in the second half of pregnancy, but sometimes it may appear in different other periods of pregnancy, and ends with the end of the pregnancy period, i.e. at birth.
There is no specific classification of women who may develop gestational diabetes, but there are some factors that increase the likelihood of some women developing gestational diabetes, such as:
- Previous birth of a child weighing more than 4.5 kg.
- Gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy.
- One of the parents or siblings has diabetes.
- Ethnic ancestry from South Asia, China, African-Caribbean or the Middle East.
Gestational diabetes symptoms
Gestational diabetes does not cause obvious symptoms in most pregnant women, and in fact it is detected in most cases only when checking the blood sugar level during periodic checkups of the pregnant woman to follow up on the development of pregnancy, however, some women develop some symptoms when blood sugar levels reach very high levels, such as:
- Increased thirst.
- The need to urinate a lot.
- Dry mouth.
- Sensation of general fatigue.
However, most of these symptoms are generally common during pregnancy and don’t necessarily have to be associated with a problem or gestational diabetes.
Effects of gestational diabetes
The growth of the child is more than normal: Due to the leakage of excess sugar in the mother’s blood to the baby, which leads to an increase in the weight of the fetus, and the increase in the weight of the fetus affects the birth process at times, such as the need to induce labor or perform a caesarean section.
- Increased amniotic fluid: Gestational diabetes sometimes affects the high amount of amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus inside the uterus, which can lead to early labor or problems during delivery.
- Premature birth: Gestational diabetes may affect the entry into preterm labor and premature birth so that the fetus is born before the 37th week of pregnancy is completed.
- Eclampsia: a condition that causes high blood pressure during pregnancy, and it can lead to many complications during pregnancy if not treated urgently.
- Impact on the newborn: The newborn may develop a low blood sugar level, or yellowing of the skin and eyes, which is called ” jaundice of the newborn “, which may require hospital treatment.
- Type II diabetes: Gestational diabetes is an indicator of the risk of type II diabetes.
Dealing with gestational diabetes
Health care and follow-up appointments for pregnancy check-ups are very important for the health of pregnant women with gestational diabetes, as these checks include measurements of blood sugar level to ensure that it is within normal ranges, as well as have a major role in monitoring the growth development of the baby and the weight.
Following the healthy diet in terms of the quality of eating and its quantities is considered a place and following the recommendations of the doctor carefully, and moderate physical activity also plays a major role in maintaining sugar levels within its normal levels, after taking the doctor’s advice on the preferred physical activities, its duration, duration and level.
References:
- NHS Choices, translation of Gestational Diabetes, on 05/08/2016, Electronic Version available at:
- Mayo Clinic, translation of Gestational Diabetes, on 28/04/2017, Electronic Version available at:
- Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, translation of Gestational Diabetes, on 25/07/207, Electronic Version available at: