Can gestational diabetes be cured

How to Treat Gestational Diabetes

Gestational Diabetes

Because gestational diabetes can hurt you and your baby, it is critical to start treatment quickly.

Treatment for gestational diabetes aims to keep blood glucose levels equal to those of pregnant women who don't have gestational diabetes. The treatment always includes special meal plans and scheduled physical activity, and it may also include daily blood glucose testing and insulin injections.

If you're testing your blood glucose, the American Diabetes Association suggests the following targets for women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy. More or less stringent glycemic goals may be appropriate for each individual.

Before a meal (preprandial): 95 mg/dl or less
One hour after a meal (postprandial): 140 mg/dl or less
Two hours after a meal (postprandial): 120 mg/dl or less

If you’re diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you will need help from your doctor, nurse educator and other members of your health care team so that your treatment can change as needed. For you as the mother-to-be, proper treatment helps lower the risk of a cesarean section birth that very large babies may require.

Sticking with your treatment plan will give you a healthy pregnancy and birth, and may help your baby avoid poor health in the future.

Keeping worry in perspective

While gestational diabetes is a cause for concern, the good news is that you and your health care team—your doctor, obstetrician, nurse educator and dietitian—work together to lower your high blood glucose levels. And with this help, you can turn your concern into a healthy pregnancy for you and a healthy start for your baby.

Looking ahead

Gestational diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy. But once you've had gestational diabetes, your chances are two in three that it will return in future pregnancies. In a few women, however, pregnancy uncovers type 1 or type 2 diabetes. It is hard to tell whether these women have gestational diabetes or have just started showing their diabetes during pregnancy, but they will need to continue diabetes treatment after pregnancy.

Many women who have gestational diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes years later. There seems to be a link between the tendency to have gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes since both involve insulin resistance. However, certain basic lifestyle changes may help prevent diabetes after gestational diabetes. Learn about prevention.

Lower your risk by losing weight

Are you more than 20% over your ideal body weight? Losing even a few pounds can help you avoid developing type 2 diabetes.

Making healthy food choices

Follow simple daily guidelines like eating a variety of foods including fresh fruits and vegetables, limiting fat intake to 30% or less of daily calories and watching your portion sizes. Healthy eating habits can go a long way in preventing diabetes and other health problems.

Exercising

Regular exercise allows your body to use glucose without extra insulin. This helps combat insulin resistance and is what makes exercise helpful to people with diabetes. However, it is important to check with your doctor before starting an exercise program.

Gestational Diabetes Facts: Diagnosis, Risks & Effects

CS-Blog Cedars-Sinai Blog

Feb 28, 2019 Cedars-Sinai Staff

Unlike other types of diabetes, gestational diabetes usually goes away soon after delivery.

Gestational diabetes is when a woman without diabetes develops high blood sugar levels during pregnancy.

Why? Like so many things in pregnancy, it comes down to hormones.

Insulin is a hormone that keeps blood sugar (aka glucose) at healthy levels.

During pregnancy, higher levels of other hormones can interfere with your body's sensitivity to insulin, resulting in elevated blood sugar.

Unlike other types of diabetes, gestational diabetes usually goes away on its own and soon after delivery blood sugar levels return to normal, says Dr. Tania Esakoff, clinical director of the Prenatal Diagnosis Center.

"There is no need for gestational diabetes to take away from the joys of pregnancy."

If gestational diabetes goes away on its own, why is it a problem?

The problem with having too much sugar in your blood is that it bypasses the placenta and goes straight to the unborn baby.

Will the baby be OK?

Most women who get gestational diabetes do well as long as it is adequately managed.

"However, there can be complications for the baby like low blood sugar at birth, breathing issues, low levels of calcium, and jaundice," says Dr. Esakoff.

High blood sugar levels can also lead to an excessive buildup of amniotic fluid, macrosomia (which is when the baby is much larger than normal), or in rare cases, a stillbirth. Other risks include early delivery, high blood pressure, or preeclampsia.

Most of these complications can be prevented. The key is to get your blood sugar levels under control as soon as you're diagnosed.

Read: What You Should Know About Preeclampsia

How is it diagnosed?

While most women with gestational diabetes have no obvious symptoms, some experience extreme hunger, thirst, or fatigue. Since these symptoms are also common during typical pregnancies, Dr. Esakoff says it's essential to get proper screening.

"We have patients who take care of themselves, are in excellent shape, watch their diet, and they still get it," says Dr. Esakoff. “So you should definitely get tested around 24-28 weeks."

Tests include a 1-hour glucose tolerance test, and if it's positive, a follow-up 3-hour test to confirm the diagnosis.

Pregnant women should get tested around 24-28 weeks.

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What's the best way to manage it?

Unless your doctor has restricted exercising, keeping active is important. It keeps you and the baby healthy and it minimizes weight gain—women who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop gestational diabetes.

Dr. Esakoff also recommends consulting a diabetic nurse educator, dietitian, or doctor to find a way of eating that works for you.

"Controlling gestational diabetes is about finding a correct balance of protein, fats, and carbs," she explains. "A lot of patients assume if they cut carbs, things will be better, but you do need carbs when you're pregnant."

Some women also need medication or insulin injections.

Who's at risk?

Any woman can develop gestational diabetes when she's pregnant, but you're at higher risk if you:

Are overweight or obese
Have a family history of diabetes
Had gestational diabetes in a past pregnancy
Are over 25
Are African-American, American Indian, Asian-American, Hispanic or Latina, or Pacific Islander
Are prediabetic
Have high blood pressure

Read: Prediabetes: A Tool for Change

Will gestational diabetes go away?

For most women, yes, but half the women who test positive for gestational diabetes have an increased chance of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

All women with gestational diabetes should be screened at 6 weeks postpartum to determine if they actually have diabetes outside of pregnancy.

"Once a woman has had gestational diabetes, she has to be mindful about diet and exercise for the rest of her life," says Dr. Esakoff.

But that can also be a silver lining.

"Better eating habits will give mom a healthier heart, more energy, and improved self-esteem. That benefits her and the whole family," says Dr. Esakoff.

"There is no need for gestational diabetes to take away from the joys of pregnancy."

Gestational diabetes - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, diet, prevention of diabetes during pregnancy

Gestational diabetes is diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. From 1 to 20% (on average - 7%) of expectant mothers face such a problem. For the majority, this pathology after childbirth disappears without a trace, but in 10-15% it turns into type II diabetes mellitus. Half of women who have gestational diabetes during pregnancy acquire type II diabetes within the next 10-15 years after giving birth.

Causes of gestational diabetes

The exact mechanism of the onset of the disease is still not completely clear. Doctors are inclined to believe that the hormones responsible for the proper development of the fetus block the production of insulin, which leads to a violation of carbohydrate metabolism. During pregnancy, more glucose is required for both the woman and the baby. The body compensates for this need by suppressing the production of insulin.

There are other possible causes of gestational diabetes, such as autoimmune diseases that destroy the pancreas. In principle, any pathology of the pancreas can increase the risk of diabetes during pregnancy.

Risk of diabetes during pregnancy

This pathological condition threatens the health of both mother and child. Even before birth, the fetus begins to actively produce insulin to compensate for the increased glucose in the mother's blood. Such children are prone to low blood sugar from birth, they have a higher risk of obesity and type II diabetes in adulthood.

Gestational diabetes increases the risk of high blood pressure as well as preeclampsia, a severe form of preeclampsia. It is manifested by headaches, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, lethargy, drowsiness or insomnia. This is one of the most severe disorders during pregnancy, affecting the central nervous system.

Another worrying factor is that diabetes during pregnancy contributes to rapid weight gain in the baby during the prenatal period (macrosomia). This causes difficulties in childbirth and poses a threat to the mother. A large child is considered to be over 4 kg. These children are at higher risk of birth injury and are more likely to need a caesarean section. Due to the large size of the fetus, an early delivery may be required. At the same time, the risk of preterm birth is high.

Also, high sugar in pregnant women increases the risk of cardiovascular and nervous pathologies of the fetus, increases the risk of respiratory distress syndrome in the baby (a condition that makes breathing difficult), and generally increases the incidence of complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

Risk factors for gestational diabetes

Age under 18 and over 30 years of age.
Unbalanced diet with a lot of fast carbohydrates.
Bad habits (smoking, alcohol abuse).
Overweight and obesity. Excess weight obviously implies a violation of metabolic processes.
Lack of physical activity.
Previous gestational diabetes or pre-diabetes. The tendency to diseases of this series does not disappear with time.
Polycystic ovary syndrome.
Diabetes in a close relative. The risk of gestational diabetes is doubled or more if close relatives have any form of diabetes.
Previous birth of a child over 4 kg or a large fetus during the current pregnancy.
Race. The Caucasian race has the lowest risk of developing gestational diabetes, most often black women suffer from this problem.

Unfortunately, GDM can also develop in a perfectly healthy woman without risk factors, so you need to visit a doctor and not skip the recommended screenings.

Symptoms of gestational diabetes

In most cases, the disease is asymptomatic for a long time, and this is its danger. Usually, the problem is detected after the 20th week of pregnancy through a blood sugar test.

Severe symptoms are rare and all non-specific: intense thirst, weight gain, increased daily urination. Sometimes patients complain of fatigue and lack of energy.

Diagnosis of gestational diabetes

There is also good news. All pregnant women, when registering, must take a blood test for glucose levels, therefore, if you regularly undergo all the prescribed examinations, you will find a problem at the very initial stage.

The normal value is 3.3-5.1 mmol / l in the analysis of blood from a vein on an empty stomach. Patients whose glucose level exceeds 5.1 mmol / l are at risk. In this case, the doctor will order a glucose loading test or a glucose tolerance test to confirm or refute the diagnosis. It is carried out at the 24-28th week of pregnancy. Such a study includes two stages: first, a woman takes a regular blood test for fasting glucose, after which she drinks a special solution containing 75 grams of glucose, and takes the test again two hours later. If a disease is suspected, the same analysis is repeated again after a few hours.

The diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made if the fasting blood glucose level is less than 7 mmol / l, but above 5.1 mmol / l, and the level of venous blood glucose two hours after ingestion of 75 g of glucose is above 8.5 mmol / l .

Prenatal diabetes treatment

The first step in treating GDM is a balanced diet and moderate exercise. The main goal of the diet is to reduce sugar to normal values, so the expectant mother will have to give up sweets and fast carbohydrates.

Recommended for pregnant women:

Eat a little, but often.
Avoid high glycemic foods (sugar, honey, potatoes, white bread, muffins, bananas, grapes).
Refuse fast food and fatty sweet pastries.
Drink plenty of fluids if there are no contraindications from the kidneys.
Diversify the diet with fresh vegetables, lean meat, cereals.

Like all pregnant women, it is important for patients with GDM to receive the full range of vitamins and minerals that are necessary to maintain their own health and the proper development of the fetus.

Walking, swimming, water gymnastics, physiotherapy exercises for pregnant women - any light activity will benefit.

If diet and exercise fail to lower blood sugar levels, insulin therapy is indicated.

Important: Women with high blood sugar should check their glucose levels daily. Measurements are taken on an empty stomach and an hour after each meal using a home glucometer.

Prevention of gestational diabetes

Unfortunately, there are no 100% effective measures that would protect against this disease.

But the more good habits a woman develops before pregnancy, the easier pregnancy and childbirth will be:

From the first days of pregnancy, eat healthy food: choose foods high in fiber and low in fat. Focus on vegetables and whole grains. Strive for variety and watch portion sizes.
Stay active. Try to do 30 minutes of exercise every day. Take daily walks, ride a bike, go swimming.
Plan pregnancy at a healthy weight and do not gain more than recommended. Gaining weight too quickly can increase your risk of gestational diabetes.

Although there is no universal protection against GDM, a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of its occurrence. The most important thing is to detect the problem in time and prevent it from developing.

Gestational diabetes in pregnancy | OneTouch®

Gestational Diabetes

What causes gestational diabetes?

Doctors don't know exactly what causes gestational diabetes, but they have some ideas about it.

The placenta supports and nourishes the baby as it grows. Hormones from the placenta help the baby develop. But these same hormones also block the action of insulin, reducing its effectiveness. Gestational diabetes occurs when your body is no longer able to produce and use all the insulin it needs during pregnancy, resulting in high blood glucose levels if left untreated.

Some women are at higher risk of developing gestational diabetes. The following factors increase the risk of developing gestational diabetes:

Being overweight before pregnancy
Too much weight gain during pregnancy (more than the recommended amount)
Age over 25
History of gestational diabetes
Presence of diabetes in close relatives
African American, Asian, Hispanic or Native American ancestry

How is gestational diabetes diagnosed?

Most women who receive good medical care during pregnancy are regularly screened for gestational diabetes between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy. If you are at high risk of developing gestational diabetes, your doctor may test you earlier and/or more than once during your pregnancy.

As part of the gestational diabetes test, your doctor will ask you to drink a sugary drink, and you will have a blood sample taken before and after you drink the drink. If the results show that the blood glucose level at the specified time is above the recommended limits, the diagnosis of gestational diabetes is confirmed. Your doctor will tell you about a plan for treating gestational diabetes.

Why is it important to treat gestational diabetes?

A mother instinctively protects her child. It is important for the health of both mother and child that treatment for gestational diabetes be started as soon as the diagnosis is made. If left untreated, gestational diabetes can cause problems that include the following:

An increased chance of having a large baby weighing more than 4 kg - this condition is called macrosomia. It increases the likelihood
- complications and injuries during vaginal delivery;
- caesarean section. (K-section)
Your baby is at high risk for preterm labor and breathing problems (respiratory distress)
Your baby is at high risk for low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) shortly after birth
You are more likely to have preeclampsia (high blood pressure and liver or kidney problems)

Following your doctor's instructions and carefully managing your gestational diabetes can greatly reduce your risk of developing these complications.

What to expect if you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes?

If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes:

Your doctor will recommend a healthy carbohydrate-controlled diet and exercise. In many cases, these measures will be sufficient to control blood glucose levels throughout pregnancy.
You may need help from a dietitian in developing a healthy eating plan. A nutritionist can teach you how to control the amount and types of carbohydrates in your food so that you can manage your blood glucose levels while still meeting the needs of your growing child. You may also be asked to keep a food journal and monitor your weight.
You may need to check your blood glucose daily with a glucometer. Ask your doctor or diabetes consultant to recommend a glucometer that is right for you. Checking and tracking your blood glucose levels will help you and your doctor manage your gestational diabetes.

As a rule, blood glucose levels should be checked at least 4 times a day, usually on an empty stomach, and then 1-2 hours after a meal. Your doctor or healthcare professional will tell you how often you should test and what your target blood glucose range is. Remember to record your blood glucose measurements, including the time and results of the test, before or after a meal, and how long after a meal the test was taken.

Light exercise during pregnancy will help your body make better use of its own insulin and help control blood glucose levels. Types of exercise that can be safely performed by pregnant women include brisk walking and swimming. Talk to your doctor for advice on safe exercise during pregnancy.

At your appointment, the midwife can check your blood pressure and take a urine sample. You will also talk to your doctor about your blood glucose test results, how you eat, how much exercise you do, and how much weight you have gained. Your growing child will also be closely monitored. All this will help determine if the prescribed treatment plan for gestational diabetes is working and if it needs to be adjusted.

If dietary changes and exercise don't help control your blood glucose, your doctor may prescribe medication—pills or insulin—for the rest of your pregnancy.

Medications (pills, insulin)

Just because your doctor prescribes pills or insulin doesn't mean you can't manage your gestational diabetes. In some cases, your body may simply not be able to produce enough insulin on its own that your body needs as your baby grows.