Gestational Diabetes – A Menace During Pregnancy

Gestational diabetes is as the name suggests a diabetic condition that strikes during pregnancy. This disease has a strike rate of eight to a minimum three out of every hundred cases of pregnancy in the United States.

Any type of diabetes occurs when the blood sugar or glucose level of the body rises above the normal limit. The glucose in the body helps in supplying the energy required to carry on with the daily works of life. However, a presence of too much glucose in the blood can prove to be harmful. This presence of too much of glucose in the blood can prove to be harmful for the baby’s health.

There are a lot of unhealthy lifestyle reasons that cause diabetes. Gestational diabetes is however, caused chiefly due to the hormonal changes and weight gains that occur in healthy pregnancy. All these changes of the biological system make it tough for the body’s insulin level to work in balance. The body at this time fails to get enough energy from the regular food intake leading to such a condition.

Although gestational diabetes occurs from the suddenly low insulin level and suddenly high glucose level in the body during pregnancy, it does involve a lot of factors responsible for such a condition to take place.

If there has been a family history of diabetics of a parent or a sister or brother one can become diabetic prone. If the person concerned is of African American or Asian American or American Indian origin they would have the genetics made for diabetes.

Another factor that plays major is the age, mainly if it is more than or equal to twenty five years. If the person is overweight it gives ample reason for their health to get diabetes. A doctor would be the proper person to decide when to check for the risks of getting gestational diabetes.

In case if the patient is inside the high risks zone the level of blood glucose should ideally be checked at the preliminary prenatal visit to the doctor. Another checkup is ideally conducted between the twenty eighth and twenty fourth week of pregnancy.

In case of average risk for a situation with gestational diabetes, the primary test itself is conducted during the twenty eighth to twenty fourth week of pregnancy. However, in low risk situations for this medical condition, doctors suggest no checkups required.