Know More about Gestational Diabetes

Posted on July 20, 2008 in Latest News

Know More about Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes sets in only during pregnancy. If a woman develops high blood sugar when pregnant, but has never had it before, then she has gestational diabetes. If not treated, it can cause problems for the mother and baby, some of which can be serious.

How does it happen?

Insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, prevents high blood sugar and diabetes. The effect of insulin is blocked by hormones produced in the placenta during pregnancy causing insulin resistance. Insulin resistance increases as the placenta grows during the last few months of pregnancy, so the pancreas is unable to make additional insulin to overcome the resistance. This results in gestational diabetes.

Who is at risk?

The risk is higher in older or obese women, those with a family history of diabetes, and those who had stillbirths or very large babies earlier. Also, the relative risk of Indian women developing gestational diabetes is 11 times compared to Caucasian women.

How is the baby affected?

Diabetes during pregnancy results in macrosomia or large body. High blood sugar in the mother leads to high blood sugar in the foetus. The foetus’ pancreas perceives this as foetal diabetes and secretes insulin in high quantities to lower blood sugars.

The excess insulin in the baby delays lung maturity of the baby, while promoting physical growth, especially if the baby is born before 38 weeks. This can result in difficulty in breathing.

After delivery, the baby continues to have a high insulin level, but no longer has abnormally high levels of sugar from its mother. This results in the blood sugar level becoming very low.

Treatment for the baby

The newborn, as soon as diagnosed with a problem of low blood sugar, is admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. With careful monitoring and early treatment, these babies do well. With modern neonatal intensive care, the mortality is almost zero, unless the baby is very premature or asphyxiated at birth from a very difficult delivery.

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