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iabetes in the mother is one of the most common reasons a pregnancy is considered “high risk.” Whether a woman had type 1 or 2 diabetes before she got pregnant or develops gestational diabetes in her third trimester.
eight gain and hormonal changes are a normal part of pregnancy. These changes cause a woman’s body to make less insulin. What’s more, the body uses insulin less effectively during pregnancy, a condition known as insulin resistance. By late pregnancy, all women experience a degree of insulin resistance. According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 10 percent of these women will develop gestational diabetes.
Pregnant women are routinely tested for gestational diabetes some time between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy. If a woman is diagnosed with the condition, she must take immediate action to manage her blood sugar. Most women’s blood glucose levels return to normal in the weeks after delivery. However, in 5 to 10 percent of women, blood glucose levels do not return to normal, and they are diagnosed with diabetes.
Understand the Risks
If diabetes is not well managed during pregnancy, mother and baby will both have high blood glucose. This can lead to a variety of complications.
Gestational diabetes raises the risk of high blood pressure and preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy that can threaten the lives of both mother and baby.
Once a woman has had gestational diabetes, she is more likely to get it again during a future pregnancy. She is also at risk for developing diabetes as she gets older and should talk to a diabetes educator or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist about preventive measures.
Infants born to women with gestational diabetes can be larger than average (macrosomia), weighing nine or more pounds. Such babies often need to be delivered by cesarean.
If a mother has unmanaged gestational diabetes, the excess glucose in her blood will find its way to the baby’s bloodstream. This stimulates the baby’s pancreas to make insulin to manage the glucose. Some of that extra glucose will also be stored as fat. For this reason, infants born to women with gestational diabetes may have a larger than normal body—a condition called macrosomia.
Babies born to women with gestational diabetes may be born with low blood glucose, or hypoglycemia, which can precipitate the need for closer hospital attention.
Jaundice is a medical condition that causes yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes due to an excess of bilirubin, an orange-yellow pigment formed in the liver. Newborns with jaundice need to be treated with light therapy in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Babies born to women with gestational diabetes are statistically more likely to be overweight as adults and may eventually develop type 2 diabetes themselves.
When Women with Diabetes Become Pregnant
The risks for women with diabetes who choose to get pregnant are the same as for women with gestational diabetes, with these additional concerns:
Whether a woman has type 1 or type 2 diabetes, she will need to work with her doctor to closely manage her blood glucose before conceiving. When a woman with unmanaged diabetes gets pregnant, she can expose her baby to high blood glucose and ketones, a toxic byproduct of excess blood glucose, early in her first trimester. This increases the risk of birth defects and miscarriage, because the first seven weeks are when the baby’s organs are forming. That’s why it’s essential to bring diabetes under good management at least three to six months before conception, and maintain excellent blood glucose management throughout pregnancy.
Diabetes in the mother is one of the most common reasons a pregnancy is considered “high risk.” Whether a woman had type 1 or 2 diabetes before she got pregnant or develops gestational diabetes in her third trimester.
Weight gain and hormonal changes are a normal part of pregnancy. These changes cause a woman’s body to make less insulin. What’s more, the body uses insulin less effectively during pregnancy, a condition known as insulin resistance. By late pregnancy, all women experience a degree of insulin resistance. According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 10 percent of these women will develop gestational diabetes.
Pregnant women are routinely tested for gestational diabetes some time between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy. If a woman is diagnosed with the condition, she must take immediate action to manage her blood sugar. Most women’s blood glucose levels return to normal in the weeks after delivery. However, in 5 to 10 percent of women, blood glucose levels do not return to normal, and they are diagnosed with diabetes.
Understand the Risks
If diabetes is not well managed during pregnancy, mother and baby will both have high blood glucose. This can lead to a variety of complications.
Gestational diabetes raises the risk of high blood pressure and preeclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy that can threaten the lives of both mother and baby.
Once a woman has had gestational diabetes, she is more likely to get it again during a future pregnancy. She is also at risk for developing diabetes as she gets older and should talk to a diabetes educator or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist about preventive measures.
Infants born to women with gestational diabetes can be larger than average (macrosomia), weighing nine or more pounds. Such babies often need to be delivered by cesarean.
If a mother has unmanaged gestational diabetes, the excess glucose in her blood will find its way to the baby’s bloodstream. This stimulates the baby’s pancreas to make insulin to manage the glucose. Some of that extra glucose will also be stored as fat. For this reason, infants born to women with gestational diabetes may have a larger than normal body—a condition called macrosomia.
Babies born to women with gestational diabetes may be born with low blood glucose, or hypoglycemia, which can precipitate the need for closer hospital attention.
Jaundice is a medical condition that causes yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes due to an excess of bilirubin, an orange-yellow pigment formed in the liver. Newborns with jaundice need to be treated with light therapy in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Babies born to women with gestational diabetes are statistically more likely to be overweight as adults and may eventually develop type 2 diabetes themselves.
When Women with Diabetes Become Pregnant
The risks for women with diabetes who choose to get pregnant are the same as for women with gestational diabetes, with these additional concerns:
Whether a woman has type 1 or type 2 diabetes, she will need to work with her doctor to closely manage her blood glucose before conceiving. When a woman with unmanaged diabetes gets pregnant, she can expose her baby to high blood glucose and ketones, a toxic byproduct of excess blood glucose, early in her first trimester. This increases the risk of birth defects and miscarriage, because the first seven weeks are when the baby’s organs are forming. That’s why it’s essential to bring diabetes under good management at least three to six months before conception, and maintain excellent blood glucose management throughout pregnancy.