Gestational Diabetes Numbers

Gestational Diabetes

What Is Gestational Diabetes? Gestational diabetes sometimes develops when a woman is pregnant. It’s when the blood glucose level (blood sugar level) of the mother goes too high during pregnancy. Having an elevated blood glucose level during pregnancy can cause problems for your baby—if it’s left untreated. Fortunately, doctors are vigilant about checking for gestational diabetes so that it can be identified and effectively managed. A pro-active treatment plan helps you have a good pregnancy and protects the health of your baby. Gestational Diabetes Symptoms Gestational diabetes doesn’t often cause noticeable symptoms for the mother. Other types of diabetes (eg, type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes) do cause symptoms such as increased thirst, but that is hardly ever noticed in gestational diabetes. Because there aren’t often symptoms, it’s very important to be tested for a high blood glucose level when you’re pregnant. (Your doctor will most likely test you for gestational diabetes sometime between the 24th and 28th week. You can learn more about the diagnostic process here.) Then your doctor will know if you need to be treated for gestational diabetes. Gestational Diabetes Causes and Risk Factors Gestational diabetes develops when your body isn’t able to produce enough of the hormone insulin during pregnancy. Insulin is necessary to transport glucose—what your body uses for energy—into the cells. Without enough insulin, you can build up too much glucose in your blood, leading to a higher-than-normal blood glucose level and perhaps gestational diabetes. The elevated blood glucose level in gestational diabetes is caused by hormones released by the placenta during pregnancy. The placenta produces a hormone called the human placental lactogen (HPL), also Continue reading >>

Gestational Diabetes

During pregnancy, some women develop high blood sugar levels. This condition is known as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). GDM typically develops between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s estimated to occur in up to 9.2 percent of pregnancies. If you develop GDM while you’re pregnant, it doesn’t mean that you had diabetes before your pregnancy or will have it afterward. But GDM does raise your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. If poorly managed, it can also raise your child’s risk of developing diabetes and add other risk factors to you and your baby during pregnancy and delivery. It’s rare for GDM to cause symptoms. If you do experience symptoms, they will likely be mild. They may include: fatigue blurred vision excessive thirst excessive need to urinate The exact cause of GDM is unknown, but hormones likely play a role. When you’re pregnant, your body produces larger amounts of some hormones, including: human placental lactogen estrogen hormones that increase insulin resistance These hormones affect your placenta and help sustain your pregnancy. Over time, the amount of these hormones in your body increases. They may interfere with the action of insulin, the hormone that regulates your blood sugar. Insulin helps move glucose out of your blood into cells, where it’s used for energy. If you don’t have enough insulin, or you have high levels of hormones that prevent insulin from working properly, your blood glucose levels may rise. This can cause GDM. You’re at higher risk of developing GDM if you: are over the age of 25 have high blood pressure have a family history of diabetes were overweight before you became pregnant have previously given birth to a baby weighin Continue reading >>

Blood Sugar Levels For Pregnant Women With Diabetes

Whether you had diabetes before you got pregnant or you developed diabetes during your pregnancy, you'll need to keep a close eye on your blood sugar levels. Tight control will help you avoid complications and long-term health problems for both you and your baby. You're eating differently because your body needs more energy to help your baby grow and be healthy. And your changing hormones affect how your body makes and uses insulin. In the later parts of your pregnancy, you may become more insulin resistant, so blood sugar builds up to higher levels. How often should you check your blood sugar? Pre-existing diabetes: Before and after meals and before bedtime If you are pregnant and have type 1 diabetes, your doctor might sometimes ask you to check your blood sugar in the middle of the night, around 3 a.m. You should check your fasting urine ketones every day, too. For every type of diabetes, if you're pregant you need to see your doctor at least once a month, perhaps as often as once a week. Continue reading >>

Fasting Blood Glucose Levels And Initiation Of Insulin Therapy In Gestational Diabetes.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an initial fasting blood glucose determination will predict which pregnant women will need insulin in addition to dietary measures to maintain fasting glucose levels during gestation. METHODS: All women referred for management of gestational diabetes received dietary counseling and instructions for self-monitoring of blood glucose levels during fasting and at 2 hours after each meal. Insulin therapy was initiated if the fasting blood glucose value exceeded 5.8 mmol/L (105 mg/dL) on more than one occasion, the 2-hour postprandial glucose exceeded 8.3 mmol/L (150 mg/dL), or the 2-hour postprandial glucose exceeded 6.7 mmol/L (120 mg/dL) three times in a week. The use of diet alone or diet plus insulin therapy was determined by review of medical records. RESULTS: Fifty-two pregnant women with fasting blood glucose levels of less than 5.8 mmol/L (105 mg/dL) and with two or more elevated blood glucose values on a 3-hour glucose tolerance test underwent follow-up at least through the 36th week of gestation. In 21 patients, insulin therapy was initiated in addition to diet. Two of five women with an initial fasting glucose level of less than 4.4 mmol/L (80 mg/dL) required insulin, and 8 of 24 women with fasting levels of 5.3 to 5.8 mmol/L (96 to 105 mg/dL) eventually needed insulin. CONCLUSION: The height of the fasting blood glucose level in women with gestational diabetes does not separate those who will maintain blood glucose levels in the targeted therapeutic range on diet alone from those who will need insulin. Therefore, all women with gestational diabetes need to participate in self-monitoring of blood glucose levels. Continue reading >>

What To Expect With Gestational Diabetes

Blood glucose control is key to having a healthy baby A diagnosis of gestational diabetes can cast a shadow over the joys of pregnancy. While the vast majority of these cases end with a healthy baby and mom, gestational diabetes (high blood glucose during pregnancy in a woman who has never had type 1 or type 2 diabetes) does increase risks to the health of both baby and mother. Keeping blood glucose under control is crucial for women with gestational diabetes to help safeguard their babies and themselves. Gestational diabetes is caused by issues that arise as part of a normal pregnancy: hormonal changes and weight gain. Women whose bodies can't compensate for these changes by producing enough of the hormone insulin, which ushers glucose from the blood into cells to produce energy, develop high blood glucose and gestational diabetes. Overweight mothers are at a greater risk for the condition. In the United States, gestational diabetes is reported in somewhere between 2 and 10 percent of pregnancies, but it is now believed that the condition affects 18 percent of women in pregnancy. The larger number is the result of new criteria for diagnosis, not just skyrocketing rates. The American Diabetes Association began recommending this year that gestational diabetes be diagnosed with only one abnormal test result rather than two, the previous method, and this is causing more cases to be detected. Gestational diabetes usually appears roughly halfway through pregnancy, as the placenta puts out large amounts of "anti-insulin" hormones. Women without known diabetes should be screened for gestational diabetes 24 to 28 weeks into their pregnancies. (If high blood glucose levels are detected earlier in pregnancy, the mother-to-be may actually have type 2 diabetes, rather than gestati Continue reading >>

Gestational Diabetes: The Numbers Game

Copyright 1998 [email protected] All rightsreserved. DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is notintended and should not be construed as medical advice. Consultyour health provider. This particular web section isdesigned to present more than one view of a controversialsubject, pro and con. It should be re-emphasizedthat nothing herein should be considered medical advice. One thing that is especially confusing in gd is the variousnumbers that are tossed around all the time. It is very common toget confused! For example, 140 mg/dl is a numberyou see a lot, but it means different things in differentcontexts. It is the cutoff for the one-hour glucose challengetest in pregnancy, it used to be the number for diagnosing 'true'diabetes outside of pregnancy, and it is the cutoff for desirableblood glucose levels one hour after a meal in many programs. Whenthe levels for diagnosing diabetes outside pregnancy wererecently revised to lower levels (126 mg/dl), it confused manypregnant women, who wondered if the cutoff for the one-hour testin pregnancy was also going to be lowered or if their target bGfor one hour after eating was going to be lowered too. The answeris that one has nothing to do with the others. They all refer to differentmeasurements; it is just coincidence that they use the samenumber as a cutoff. But even among those who have studied the basics of gd, thevarious reference numbers commonly used in gd discussions can bevery confusing. Kmom knows from experience that when gd comes upfor discussion on mailing lists, people often mix up theirreferences, compare numbers incorrectly, and generally make thediscussion even more confusing. This websection is an attempt toclarify this very confusing issue and discuss thevarious guidelines that gd women are often given. Continue reading >>

I Have Gestational Diabetes And I'm Having A Problem Keeping My Glucose Down.

I had gestational diabetes with both of my pregancies. I know it isn't easy but you definetly need to watch what you eat and exercise. I was not put on insulin this last pregnancy I was put on a pill that I took in the morning before I ate and ended up having to take one at night to. The doctors main concern is when you have the baby, they could have problems with their sugar. My daughter came out and ended up her sugar dropped and she couldn't come out of the nursery until it was stable. With both of my pregnancies I wasn't able to see my baby until 24 hrs. My son ended up having fluid on his lungs, and my daughter had issues with her sugar. Try your best on watching what you eat and try and exercise. Another issue is the babies weight. My son was 10 lbs 6 oz, my daughter was only 8lbs 10oz. Not trying to worry you but big babies can happen especailly with gestational diabetes. Good Luck. I have Type 1 Diabetes, I am 23 weeks pregnant and I don't know if anyone has told you this...but the pancreas makes insulin and it is a hormone that you need to keep your blood sugar normal. When you are pregnant your body requires more insulin to preform the body functions. The amount of insulin you need changes up until you are about 36 weeks pregnant and then it just evens out again. They have no idea why but it just happens. I don't know if it is the same way for Gestational Diabetes, but i just thought you might want to know this information if it is the same. But you also should know that any white breads will raise your sugar and same with sweat things. Not to mention that salty foods can actually make you feel like you are having a high blood sugar but it is just the need to drink a ton more water. Because of the diabetes you will need like twice as much water as you would if Continue reading >>

9 Gestational Diabetes Myths

As a specialist in gestational diabetes nutrition, I get a lot of questions about blood sugar and pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is controversial. It’s complicated. And there’s a lot of misinformation out there. I do my best to address the controversies in interviews and with participants in my online gestational diabetes course, but since I’ve been receiving more and more inquiries in my inbox from fellow healthcare professionals, I wanted to dispel some gestational diabetes myths head-on right here on the blog. I’ll also be attending some midwifery conferences this year (including one this weekend), and I figured this resource would be a helpful place to refer practitioners if they have questions. Given the medical interventions that are commonly pushed on women with gestational diabetes (believe me, I’m also disheartened by the over-medicalization of pregnancy and birth), it’s important to understand the science behind high blood sugar and pregnancy. My goal is to help moms and practitioners make better decisions – based on fact, not fear – so they can have the healthiest pregnancy possible. 9 Gestational Diabetes Myths Myth #1: Blood Sugar Levels are Naturally Higher In Pregnancy There’s a lot of misinformation floating around about blood sugar levels in pregnancy. Some think that gestational diabetes is a “diagnosis looking for a disease.” In other words, they believe that blood sugar levels naturally go up during pregnancy, so there’s nothing to worry about. Some practitioners don’t even test for gestational diabetes and just tell their patients to “eat healthy” under the assumption that any rise in blood sugar is just a normal phenomenon of pregnancy. Unfortunately, that’s not true. Research has looked at blood sugar levels in nor Continue reading >>

What Is The Best Diet For Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes can cause a range of complications during pregnancy. Fortunately, a woman can help reduce complications by following a healthful diet. What foods should women eat and what foods should they avoid if they have gestational diabetes? Gestational diabetes occurs if a woman's body cannot produce enough insulin, during her pregnancy. This deficiency leads to high blood sugar. High blood sugar levels may cause problems for the woman and her baby if not managed properly. This article explains what type of diet a woman should follow during pregnancy if she has gestational diabetes. It also considers other treatment options for gestational diabetes and what complications may occur if the condition is not properly managed. Contents of this article: Understanding gestational diabetes Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2 and 10 percent of pregnancies are affected by gestational diabetes each year in the United States. This type of diabetes occurs when a woman's body cannot make enough of the hormone insulin. Insulin is made by the pancreas and helps the body's cells to use sugar from the blood as energy. When a woman is pregnant, her body will produce more hormones, and she may put on weight. Both of these changes may mean that her body's cells may not use insulin as well as they used to. This is called insulin resistance. Becoming resistant to insulin means that the body needs more of it in order to use up the sugar in the blood. Sometimes a woman's body cannot produce enough insulin to keep up. This leads to a sugar buildup in the blood, resulting in high blood sugar levels. Symptoms of gestational diabetes may include: being unusually thirsty Continue reading >>

The Surprising Link Between Your Sleep And Gestational Diabetes

© Mosuno / Stocksy United Quick Read Not sleeping enough may contribute to gestational diabetes Gestational diabetes, elevated blood sugar levels during pregnancy, carries significant risks for both moms and babies. A new study shows that pregnant women who sleep less are more likely to have gestational diabetes. Sleep in pregnancy is challenging. Good eating habits, exercise and avoiding screen time before bedtime can all help, as can making sleep a priority. Pregnancy is hard work—and it’s definitely not always comfortable. The hours are long, you may have heartburn and hemorrhoids and be sick to your stomach. Meanwhile—surprise!—you’re getting bigger everywhere you look, sometimes even your feet. Your body is flooded with hormones. Add that to your changing emotional landscape and it’s no wonder you’re having trouble sleeping. Unfortunately, the results of a recent study suggest that pregnant women who sleep less than 6 hours and 15 minutes a night are almost three times more likely to have gestational diabetes as those who sleep more. What is gestational diabetes? Even if you’re a healthy mom-to-be doing everything right, you can still develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Like diabetes itself, gestational diabetes is elevated levels of blood sugar, specifically during pregnancy, says Vishesh Kapur, M.D., M.P.H., founder of the Sleep Medicine Center at Harborview. When you’re pregnant, you are at the mercy of your hormones. Progesterone, a hormone produced by your placenta, helps make sure that baby gets all the nutrients needed to grow, says Katherine McLean, M.D., an obstetrician at Meridian Women’s Health at Ballard. But it also raises the possibility of elevated blood sugars in mom. Why is gestational diabetes bad for baby? If you h Continue reading >>

Diabetes In Pregnancy

Gestational diabetes does not increase the risk of birth defects or the risk that the baby will be diabetic at birth. Also called gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), this type of diabetes affects between 3% and 20% of pregnant women. It presents with a rise in blood glucose (sugar) levels toward the end of the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy. In 90% if cases, it disappears after the birth, but the mother is at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. Cause It occurs when cells become resistant to the action of insulin, which is naturally caused during pregnancy by the hormones of the placenta. In some women, the pancreas is not able to secrete enough insulin to counterbalance the effect of these hormones, causing hyperglycemia, then diabetes. Symptoms Pregnant women generally have no apparent diabetes symptoms. Sometimes, these symptoms occur: Unusual fatigue Excessive thirst Increase in the volume and frequency of urination Headaches Importance of screening These symptoms can go undetected because they are very common in pregnant women. Women at risk Several factors increase the risk of developing gestational diabetes: Being over 35 years of age Being overweight Family members with type 2 diabetes Having previously given birth to a baby weighing more than 4 kg (9 lb) Gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy Belonging to a high-risk ethnic group (Aboriginal, Latin American, Asian or African) Having had abnormally high blood glucose (sugar) levels in the past, whether a diagnosis of glucose intolerance or prediabetes Regular use of a corticosteroid medication Suffering from ancanthosis nigricans, a discoloration of the skin, often darkened patches on the neck or under the arms Screening The Canadian Diabetes Association 2013 Clinical Practice Gui Continue reading >>

High Fasting Levels

High fasting levels are a huge problem for many ladies. Fasting blood sugar levels, levels taken first thing in the morning when you wake up, are the hardest thing to control with gestational diabetes. But why is that? When we're sleeping we are not eating and drinking and we are not active and so the body is left to it's own devices with regards to controlling blood sugar levels. Impacts on fasting blood sugar levels Many things can impact fasting levels: what you've eaten earlier in the evening when you last ate hydration levels how well you've slept the dawn phenomenon the Somogyi effect What you ate earlier in the evening Bearing in mind how much of each food group converts to glucose in the bloodstream and the time taken, your fasting levels may be impacted by this. Too much carbohydrate in your evening meal or as a snack before bed can contribute to high fasting levels, as your body can only produce or use so much insulin, so if you raise your blood sugars too high by eating too much carbohydrate, your body can spend the night battling to try to lower your blood sugar levels. A high fat meal such as takeaway food can also cause higher blood sugar levels and so eating a well paired evening meal is important. When you last ate The key to stabilising blood sugar levels is to eat small amounts, often. We obviously cannot do this throughout the night, but if you eat your evening meal early and do not eat again until breakfast the following day, it can be an extremely long time to go without eating. Likewise, if you eat a large meal just before going to bed, this too can have a detrimental effect on your fasting levels. Hydration levels Dehydration will cause higher blood sugar levels. Water helps to flush excess sugar from the body and so it is important to stay well h Continue reading >>

Numbers Going Up - Gestational Diabetes | Forums | What To Expect

FTM- 31 weeks, I've been doing this for 2 weeks now. Eating the same things & my BS has been elevated. It started yesterday so after dinner I walked for 20 mins & my numbers were still 116, which is in range but I had a SALAD! My fasting was the highest it's been which was 102, I had peanut butter & 3 animal crackers for a bedtime snack. This is so discouraging & makes me NEVER to want to get pregnant again! Does anyone have any suggestions/pointers/tips? I'm at a loss!! :-( I feel you girl! Diabetes sucks! Have you been under stress lately? or lack of sleep? Ive noticed my numbers go higher if Im under stress even if following my everyday diet. You may need a nighttime medicine! I was dealing with the same frustrations. They put me on a very low dose at night and it has evened out my fasting numbers! Stress.. ha! What's life without it.. I really don't want to be put on meds because I don't want my body to rely on that, I do not want this after baby is born. It's SO FRUSTRATING! :-( Just talk with you doc about it and they can help you out. It does go away after baby is born. This is my second pregnancy and my second time with GD. I too doubted if I'd want to go through pregnancy again but I'll tell you that as soon as I saw my baby I knew I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It is so worth it. This time around, I'll have had GD for twice as long as last time, being in more meds too, but it is easier than last time. I'm less stressed because I know it is stressful. I know it sucks. I know it is discouraging. I know it is frustrating. So because of that, I'm not stressed or discouraged when I was last time because I know it is normal. Don't worry about being put on meds. You have GD because your placenta is pumping out a hormone that is causing you to be insulin resistant. Continue reading >>

Understanding Gestational Diabetes: Glucose Monitoring

Fetal Monitoring, Gestational Diabetes, Integrative Medicine, Pregnancy and Birth, Weight Management What is self blood glucose monitoring? Once you are diagnosed as having gestational diabetes, you and your health care providers will want to know more about your day-to-day blood sugar levels. It is important to know how your exercise habits and eating patterns affect your blood sugars. Also, as your pregnancy progresses, the placenta will release more of the hormones that work against insulin. Testing your blood sugar level at important times during the day will help determine if proper diet and weight gain have kept blood sugar levels normal or if extra insulin is needed to help keep the fetus protected. Self blood glucose monitoring is done by using a special device to obtain a drop of your blood and test it for your blood sugar level. Your doctor or other health care provider will explain the procedure to you. Make sure that you are shown how to do the testing before attempting it on your own. Some items you may use to monitor your blood sugar levels are: Lancet–a disposable, sharp needle-like sticker for pricking the finger to obtain a drop of blood. Lancet device–a springloaded finger sticking device. Test strip–a chemically treated strip to which a drop of blood is applied. Color chart–a chart used to compare against the color on the test strip for blood sugar level. Glucose meter–a device which “reads” the test strip and gives you a digital number value. Your health care provider can advise you where to obtain the self-monitoring equipment in your area. You may want to inquire if any places rent or loan glucose meters, since it is likely you won't be needing it after your baby is born. How often and when should I test? You may need to test your blo Continue reading >>

Gestational Diabetes

What is gestational diabetes? Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy and goes away as the baby is born. Between 5 to 8 per cent of pregnant women will develop gestational diabetes and this usually occurs around week 24 to 28 of the pregnancy. How do you get gestational diabetes? During pregnancy, a degree of insulin resistance (where the insulin is not effective) occurs. To keep blood glucose levels in the non-diabetes range, mothers need to make 2 to 3 times more insulin than normal. Some mothers develop more insulin resistance than others and cannot make enough effective insulin. In this situation blood glucose levels become too high and gestational diabetes develops. Women who are at more risk of developing gestational diabetes include those: mothers over the age of 30 with a family history of type 2 diabetes who are overweight who are Indigenous Australians of South Asian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Middle Eastern or Polynesian/Melanesian descent who have had gestational diabetes, large babies or obstetric complications during previous pregnancies who have undiagnosed diabetes without any symptoms before the pregnancy. Will this affect my baby? Gestational diabetes will not lead to your baby being born with diabetes. In gestational diabetes, excess glucose passes through the placenta to the baby. This may lead to the baby growing larger than average. At birth, there is also the risk the baby's blood glucose levels may be too low. Baby may also have suckling and some breathing problems. Gestational diabetes can also lead to high blood pressure during pregnancy. Managing gestational diabetes If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, it is important to work closely with your doctor or health care team to keep your blood glucose le Continue reading >>