Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar (glucose) that starts during pregnancy and happens when your body cant produce enough insulin to meet your extra needs in pregnancy. usually disappears after giving birth.
It can happen at any stage of pregnancy, but is more common in the second or third trimester and usually disappears after giving birth..
If not detected early, it can cause harm to you and the baby, so needs to be detected early or educe the risks f having it to have a healthy pregnancy.
Who’s at risk of gestational diabetes
Any woman can develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, but you’re at an increased risk if:
- you’ve had GD before
- You are overweight and your BMI is above 30
- you have had a baby who weighed 4.5kg or more at birth
- Diabetes runs in the family
- you are of south Asian, Black, African-Caribbean or Middle Eastern origin If any of these apply to you, you should be offered screening for gestational diabetes during your pregnancy.
Symptoms of gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes does not usually cause any symptoms.
A pregnant mum will only know she has it when her blood sugar levels are tested during screening for gestational diabetes.
So GD doesn’t usually cause symptoms, but Some women may develop symptoms if their blood sugar levels gets too high, such as:
- dry mouth/tiredness
- needing to pee more often
- Always being very thirsty
- Recurrent vaginal infections
- tiredness
Note that some of these symptoms are common during pregnancy and are not necessarily a sign of gestational diabetes. Speak to your doctor if you’re worried about any symptoms you’re experiencing.
How it can affect your pregnancy
Most women with gestational diabetes will have otherwise normal pregnancies with healthy babies. There are some issues that it can cause:
- your baby bigger than usual which may lead to being induced or a caesarean section.
- Too much liquid surrounding the baby that can cause problems when giving birth
- Premature birth
- High blood pressure
- Low blood sugar
- Rarely, stillbirth
Treatments for gestational diabetes
If you have gestational diabetes, the chances of having problems with your pregnancy can be reduced by controlling your blood sugar levels.
You’ll be given a blood sugar testing kit so you can monitor the effects of treatment.
Blood sugar levels may be reduced by:
- Making changes to your diet and lifestyle and exercising more
- Monitoring your blood sugar levels
- Taking medication if necessary , (when diet and lifestyle aren’t reducing the sugar levels fast enough.
Your doctor should monitor you closely during pregnancy to check for nay issues. If you have GD, its best to give birth before your pregnancy reaches 41 weeks. Although if not well controlled, you may be advised to give birth before you reach term, by being induced or a caesarn section.
Long-term effects of gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes normally goes away after birth. But women who’ve had it are more likely to develop:
- gestational diabetes again in future pregnancies
- Type 2 Diabetes – a lifelong type of diabetes
You should have a blood test to check for diabetes 6 to 13 weeks after giving birth, and once every year after that if the result is normal.
So it’s important that you maintain a healthy lifestyle and keep to a normal weight through diet and exercise.
Some research has suggested that babies of mothers who had gestational diabetes may be more likely to develop diabetes or become obese later in life.
