What exactly is gestational diabetes?

PREGNANCY can be a magical experience, but it can come with certain unwanted medical issues. One such condition is gestational diabetes, something that affects at least two in every ten women.

“Gestational diabetes is diabetes that is first diagnosed in pregnancy. This is a condition in which an organ called the pancreas has difficulty regulating the blood sugar, and the blood sugar tends to be high,” said Dr Keisha Buchanan, obstetrician-gynaecologist at Icon Medical Centre.

She explained that women who have a close relative such as a mother who is diabetic, have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), are obese, or are being treated with steroids, are at a higher risk of having gestational diabetes, which usually develops in women around the seventh month of pregnancy. It could also be linked to pre-existing diabetes.

The ObGyn also pointed out that the women who develop diabetes in the latter part of their pregnancies, along with their unborn children, are at a greater risk of a number of complications. These include larger babies, still births, traumatic births for the mother and the baby, and more Caesarean sections. In addition to this, one-third of these women are more likely to develop diabetes later in life while their children are also at higher risk of obesity and diabetes.

Dr Buchanan explained that the complications of gestational diabetes could be controlled through proper nutrition and lifestyle choices.

“It is important for the blood sugar to be controlled in both cases. Maintaining good blood sugar through exercise, close adherence to a diabetic diet, use of medication if needed, such as insulin, can help to maintain good blood sugar. These could help, along with losing weight before pregnancy, which could help if the woman is overweight or obese, and it also helps to prevent diabetes,” Dr Buchanan said.

She said failure to do this could have severe repercussions for the expectant mother as well as the foetus.

“Pre-pregnancy control decreases the risk of the embryo being adversely affected and birth defects such as spinal cord defects occurring. Additionally, high blood sugar from early in the pregnancy and throughout the pregnancy causes foetal growth restrictions and smaller babies. The risk of premature birth, Caesarean sections, and stillbirths also increases with these women,” she said.

Dr Buchanan told

All Woman that generally, after the birth of the child the mother’s blood sugar levels will return to normal. She said mothers could employ a number of preventative measures to reduce the possibility of or even prevent gestational diabetes occurring in future.

“Fortunately, women who develop diabetes during their pregnancies can do a lot to prevent diabetes later in life. Within the first week after delivery, the diabetes will completely resolve for most women. Hence changes in lifestyle such as regular exercise (three or more times per week), an avoidance of starchy, high sugar content and processed foods may help to prevent diabetes later and help to prevent it in future pregnancies,” Dr Buchanan explained.

She also encourages mothers who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes to ensure that they meet all appointments during and even after birth so that their health care professionals are always aware of their diabetic status so that they are able to administer the best care during pregnancy and make recommendations for an even healthier post-pregnancy life.