
Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy
Has your doctor diagnosed you with gestational diabetes (GD or GDM), a form of diabetes that appears only during pregnancy? While it might feel overwhelming at first, it turns out that this pregnancy complication is much more common than you might think. In fact, up to 9.2 percent of pregnant women have GD, according to a 2014 analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Know that with careful monitoring and treatment, it can be managed, and you can have a safe and healthy pregnancy.
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What causes gestational diabetes?
Who's most at risk?
What are the symptoms?
How is it diagnosed?
What are the complications?
How can you prevent gestational diabetes?
How is it treated?
What happens to mom and baby after birth?
What causes gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes usually starts between week 24 and week 28 of pregnancy when hormones from the placenta block insulin — a hormone produced in the pancreas that regulates the body's metabolism of fats and carbs and helps the body turn sugar into energy — from doing its job and prevent the body from regulating the increased blood sugar of pregnancy effectively. This causes hyperglycemia (or high levels of sugar in the blood), which can damage the nerves, blood vessels and organs in your body.
Who’s most at risk for gestational diabetes?
While researchers aren't certain why some women get gestational diabetes while others don’t, they do know that you may be at an increased risk if:
You are overweight. Having a BMI of 30 or more going into pregnancy is one of the most common risk factors for gest
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