Asked by: Edvardas Roselius
medical health diabetes

What happens if you have gestational diabetes?

19
Gestational diabetes is when hormones from the placenta block insulin, preventing 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.


Herein, what happens to the baby if you have gestational diabetes?

If you have gestational diabetes, your baby may be at increased risk of: Excessive birth weight. Extra glucose in your bloodstream crosses the placenta, which triggers your baby's pancreas to make extra insulin. This can cause your baby to grow too large (macrosomia).

Beside above, what happens if gestational diabetes goes untreated? If untreated, gestational diabetes can cause problems for your baby, like premature birth and stillbirth. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after you have your baby; but if you have it, you're more likely to develop diabetes later in life.

Keeping this in view, is gestational diabetes caused by diet?

Pregnancy and High Blood Sugar When you eat, your body breaks down carbohydrates from foods into a sugar called glucose. If it can't make enough extra insulin, your blood sugar will rise and you'll get gestational diabetes.

Can you prevent gestational diabetes?

It is not always possible to prevent gestational diabetes. Certain risk factors make it more likely that a woman will develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy. However, maintaining a healthy weight before and after conception, eating well, and exercising regularly during pregnancy can all reduce the risk.

Related Question Answers

Encarnacion Hajma

Professional

How early do you deliver with gestational diabetes?

In general, waiting at least until 38 completed weeks' gestation improves fetal outcome, especially in diabetic patients [13]. However, if an indication for early delivery exists, GDM should not be considered as a contraindication to proceed with interventions for early delivery.

Shaoying Urzi

Professional

Is gestational diabetes considered high risk pregnancy?

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. Women with gestational diabetes may have healthy pregnancies and babies if they follow the treatment plan from their health-care provider. However women with gestational diabetes are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Liang Feyen

Professional

Did you have a big baby with gestational diabetes?

If you are diagnosed with GDM and you choose treatment (starting with advice about diet/exercise and self-monitoring of blood sugar levels, followed by medication as needed), you are less likely to have a baby that weighs more than 8 pounds, 13 ounces or is large for gestational age.

Moises Miehle

Explainer

What causes a big baby during pregnancy?

Women who gain a lot of weight during pregnancy often give birth to babies who are large for gestational age. Diabetes in the mother is the most common cause of babies who are large for gestational age. When a pregnant woman has high blood sugar, she can pass that along to her baby. This means a larger baby.

Gorete Neidhart

Explainer

Can I eat cheese with gestational diabetes?

Summary. Cheese is often high in fat and salt but eating it in moderation is safe for someone who has diabetes. Some cheeses, especially those that are fresh, can even help reduce the risk of diabetes in people who do not already have the condition.

Gizella Eguidaçu

Explainer

Can eating too much sugar cause gestational diabetes?

A: Eating sugary foods will not increase your risk for gestational diabetes. If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes it will be important to manage your carbohydrate intake to best manage your blood sugar levels. This would include managing your intake of sugary foods.

Satwinder Errington

Pundit

How common is stillbirth with gestational diabetes?

Diabetes affects 1-2% of pregnancies and is a major risk factor for many pregnancy complications. Women with diabetes are around five times more likely to have stillbirths, and three times more likely to have babies that don't survive beyond their first few months.

Lavelle Chiote

Pundit

Can I deliver at 37 weeks with gestational diabetes?

Because of the complications sometimes associated with birthing a big baby, many clinicians have recommended that women with gestational diabetes have an elective birth (generally an induction of labour) at or near term (37 to 40 weeks' gestation) rather than waiting for labour to start spontaneously, or until 41 weeks

Chunping El Khalifi

Pundit

Can I eat rice with gestational diabetes?

Try to avoid eating simple carbohydrates, such as potatoes, french-fries, white rice, candy, soda, and other sweets. This is because they cause your blood sugar to rise quickly after you eat such foods. Vegetables are good for your health and your blood sugar. Enjoy lots of them.

Shenika Susan

Pundit

What can you not eat with gestational diabetes?

Foods to avoid with gestational diabetes
Sugary drinks: Skip the soda and fruit juice. “Even all natural, organic, no-sugar-added juice contains carbs and will raise your blood sugar. Try water with lemon or water flavoring packets like True Lemon,” Tracy suggests.

Avram Sanvicens

Pundit

Can you eat chocolate with gestational diabetes?

If you do need to snack when you have gestational diabetes, choose plain or low sugar yogurt, unsalted nuts, seeds, fruit and veg instead of crisps, chips, biscuits and chocolates. But watch your portion sizes still – it'll help you keep an eye on your weight.

Chi Borralhinho

Teacher

Does stress cause gestational diabetes?

Having diabetes and being pregnant are stressful. The body's natural reaction to stress is to try to make more energy from glucose in the body's cells, but this process is impaired in women with gestational diabetes. As a result, stress may take even more of a toll.

Baljit Wruck

Teacher

Can you get rid of gestational diabetes while pregnant?

No, not kidding! If you're a pregnant woman who never had any sort of diabetes before you became pregnant, and developed high blood sugar only after becoming pregnant (gestational diabetes), you can safely eliminate it all by yourself within two to three weeks.

Aris Chuhin

Teacher

What can you drink with gestational diabetes?

Sweet drinks are one of the fastest ways to raise your blood sugar, which is why they must be off your menu. Water is the best choice (and you need extra water during pregnancy anyway), but low-fat milk is also a good option.

Miluta Jakel

Teacher

Do you gain weight with gestational diabetes?

Women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, may increase their risk of developing diabetes later in their pregnancy, according to a new study. Gestational diabetes is defined as glucose intolerance that typically occurs during the second or third trimester of pregnancy.

Montiel Goyri

Reviewer

What is the normal sugar level during pregnancy?

Gestational diabetes
For the three-hour test: A normal fasting blood glucose level is lower than 95 mg/dL (5.3 mmol/L). One hour after drinking the glucose solution, a normal blood glucose level is lower than 180 mg/dL (10 mmol/L).

Abdelmayid Tilke

Reviewer

What are the warning signs of gestational diabetes?

The early signs of gestational diabetes include:
  • Extreme fatigue and lethargy.
  • Urge to urinate increases to extremes.
  • Extremely dry mouth and constant thirst.
  • Feeling extreme nausea (maybe even vomiting) after eating.
  • Unusually strong cravings for sweet foods and drinks.
  • Blurred vision.
  • Tingling in the hands or feet.

Yevette Quirce

Reviewer

How much weight did you lose with gestational diabetes?

Out of the entire study population, 151 women (24.6%) lost weight after their gestational diabetes diagnosis and 463 women (75.4%) gained weight. The results showed that weight loss was linked to lower post-prandial glucose values.

Sambala Auba

Reviewer

Can you get gestational diabetes after 28 weeks?

During pregnancy, some women develop high blood sugar levels. This condition is known as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes typically develops between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy.

Co-Authored By:

EveryThingWhat Staff Editor

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8th April, 2020

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