Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that afflicts women during pregnancy. The women that end up with gestational diabetes are not diabetic previously, and the gestational diabetes will usually subside and go away after the baby is born, but it does leave the woman at increased risk for developing Type II diabetes later on in life. Having gestational diabetes does not mean your baby will be born with diabetes. However, if your gestational diabetes goes untreated or unmonitored, you are putting both you and your baby at risk for health complications. Untreated gestational diabetes can result in the baby producing too much insulin in the womb and gaining too much weight, thereby then resulting in premature birth.
In order to ensure that you and your baby suffer no ill effects, early detection and prompt treatment are crucial. So how do you know if you have gestational diabetes? Unfortunately, it does not always cause symptoms in the pregnant woman. However, you may experience excessive weight gain, excessive hunger and thirst, excessive and frequent urination, and recurrent vaginal infections.
Gestational diabetes is detected via a glucose tolerance test. If your doctor thinks you are at risk for it, you may be tested as early as 13 weeks into your pregnancy. Otherwise, it is usually taken around week 24 to week 28. The test is administered by having you drink a glucose solution, and wait an hour before having blood drawn and your blood sugar levels tested. It is simple and easy and important. If your glucose levels are high enough, then you will be given another more involved test to be sure and prescribed a diet regimen to keep you and your baby healthy after that. You will also be advised to exercise and maintain a healthy weight. If necessary, you may be prescribed insulin injections, but this is not usually necessary.