Gestational Diabetes

Pregnancy-Induced Diabetes (from the March of Dimes website).

About 3 to 5 percent of pregnant women develop diabetes for the first time during pregnancy. This type of diabetes, called gestational diabetes, occurs when pregnancy hormones interfere with the body's ability to use insulin-the hormone that turns blood sugar into energy-resulting in high blood sugar levels. You are at increased risk if you are over age 30, obese, have a family or personal history of diabetes, or previously gave birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds or was stillborn.

If a woman with gestational diabetes isn't treated, her fetus will receive too much blood sugar and may grow very large. Oversized babies are at risk of birth injuries during vaginal delivery, so they often must be delivered by c-section. Babies of mothers with gestational diabetes also can have breathing difficulties, low blood sugar and jaundice during the newborn period.

Most women with gestational diabetes have no symptoms, though a few may experience extreme hunger, thirst or fatigue. Your health care provider will probably screen you for gestational diabetes between your 24th and 28th week of pregnancy. At the screening, you'll drink a sugary liquid and then take a blood test one hour later. If your blood sugar level is high, you'll need to take a similar test over three hours to determine whether you have gestational diabetes.

If you do have gestational diabetes, you'll be able to control it with diet and exercise. Your health care provider or a dietitian will recommend an individualized diet that takes into account your weight, stage of pregnancy and food preferences. Most likely, 10 to 20 percent of your calories should come from protein (meat, poultry, fish), about 30 percent from fats, and the remainder from carbohydrates (pasta, rice, fruits, and vegetables). Sweets might be limited.

At least once a week, you'll visit your health care provider to get your blood sugar levels checked. If your diet fails to stabilize your blood sugar levels after about two weeks, you'll probably have to give yourself daily insulin shots throughout your pregnancy and monitor your blood sugar levels at home.

While gestational diabetes generally goes away after delivery, women who get it face about a 50 percent risk of developing diabetes later in life and also have a 50 percent chance of gestational diabetes in another pregnancy. Starting a weight loss and exercise program after delivery can help reduce your risk.

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