Diabetes In Pregnancy

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition in which the body can't make enough insulin, or can't use insulin normally. Insulin is a hormone. It helps sugar (glucose) in the blood get into cells of the body to be used as fuel. When glucose can’t enter the cells, it builds up in the blood. This leads to high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). High blood sugar can cause problems all over the body. It can damage blood vessels and nerves. It can harm the eyes, kidneys, and heart. In early pregnancy, high blood sugar can lead to birth defects in a growing baby.

There are 3 types of diabetes:
• Type 1 diabetes : Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder. The body's immune system damages the cells in the pancreas that make insulin.
• Type 2 diabetes : This is when the body can’t make enough insulin or use it normally. It’s not an autoimmune disease.
• Gestational diabetes : his is a condition in which the blood glucose level goes up and other diabetic symptoms appear during pregnancy in a woman who has not been diagnosed with diabetes before. It happens in about 3 in 100 to 9 in 100 pregnant women.

What Causes Diabetes During Pregnancy?

Some women have diabetes before they get pregnant. This is called pregestational diabetes. Other women may get a type of diabetes that only happens in pregnancy. This is called gestational diabetes. Pregnancy can change how a woman's body uses glucose. This can make diabetes worse, or lead to gestational diabetes.

During pregnancy, an organ called the placenta gives a growing baby nutrients and oxygen. The placenta also makes hormones. In late pregnancy, the hormones estrogen, cortisol, and human placental lactogen can block insulin. When insulin is blocked, it’s called insulin resistance. Glucose can't go into the body’s cells. The glucose stays in the blood and makes the blood sugar levels go up.

Who is at risk for diabetes during pregnancy?

The risk factors for diabetes in pregnancy depend on the type of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes often occurs in children or young adults, but it can start at any age.
• Overweight women are more likely to have Type 2 diabetes.
• Overweight women are more likely to have gestational diabetes. It’s also more common in women who have had gestational diabetes before. And it’s more common in women who have a family member with Type 2 diabetes. Women with twins or other multiples are also more likely to have it.

What are the symptoms of diabetes during pregnancy?

There are no common symptoms of diabetes. Most women don't know they have it until they get tested.

How is diabetes during pregnancy diagnosed?

Nearly all nondiabetic pregnant women are screened for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. A glucose screening test is given during this time. For the test, you drink a glucose drink and have your blood glucose levels tested after 2 hours. If this test shows a high blood glucose level, a 3-hour glucose tolerance test will be done. If results of the second test are not normal, gestational diabetes is diagnosed.

How is diabetes during pregnancy treated?

Treatment will depend on your symptoms, your age, and your general health. It will also depend on how severe the condition is. Treatment focuses on keeping blood glucose levels in the normal range, and may include:

• A careful diet with low amounts of carbohydrate foods and drinks
• Exercise
• Blood glucose monitoring
• Insulin injections
• Oral medicines for hypoglycemia