Sunday, 21 October 2012

Diabetes among pregnant women



Diabetes is of two types, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes occurs when your body stops producing insulin. This usually happens at an early age. An individual’s body does not respond to insulin and produces more than required in Type 2 diabetes. This tends to happen due to either family genes or obesity. 

When we talk about pregnant women, both type of diabetes are serious cause of concern. If you are diabetic prior pregnancy i.e. pregestational diabetes, then you should speak with an experienced gynecologist as soon as possible and learn various precautions to take throughout pregnancy.

It’s great if you don’t have diabetes before pregnancy, but chances are you may develop it during i.e. gestational diabetes. According to American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2-10% of pregnant women are affected by gestational diabetes. 

Diabetes during pregnancy could have horrendous effects such as miscarriage, extreme levels of blood pressure, preterm labor, stillbirth, birth defects, unusually large baby making delivery more painful and more. 

Women who fulfill following criteria are at risk of developing gestational diabetes:


  • Fat, overweight, obese.
  • Age crossing 25 years mark.
  • Had issues in previous childbirths like gestational diabetes, large baby or stillbirth.
  • Have a family history of diabetes.
  • Have polycystic ovary syndrome.


Your gynecologist will prescribe a diabetes-screening test after 28 weeks of pregnancy. If you test positive, then you will need to monitor your sugar levels, eat a healthy prenatal diet, exercise and take proper medicines during pregnancy. Subsequently, there’s a possibility of developing Type 2 diabetes later on. If that happens, you have to start getting monitored 6-12 weeks after delivering.

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