Out of ten pregnant women, there are three who are at risk of developing gestational diabetes. This is why it is very important for every female who are having or wants to have children to know about this type of diabetes, its causes and how it can be prevented.
Gestational diabetes can only be acquired during pregnancy. If a pregnant woman is suffering from this disease, it just means that her body is not able to produce the right amount of insulin that a person needs to control blood sugar and prevent it from shooting up. The disease can be passed on to the fetus and may gravely affect its health.
Gestational diabetes is detected during the 24th to 28th week period of pregnancy through what they call an oral glucose tolerance test. It is a diagnostic test wherein the patient is advised to fast from food for four to eight hours to clear the blood. Then, her blood sugar level will be measured to get the normal sugar count.
After this, she will be asked to take a sugar drink, only to be tested again after two hours to detect if there is an abnormal increase in blood sugar level. If the patient registers a blood sugar level of below 140 mg/dl, then she is safe. But if the patient gets a higher count, then she is identified with gestational diabetes.
Women who has a family history of diabetes or who have experienced this disease in prior pregnancies may develop gestational diabetes. Women older than 25 years old and are obese before and during pregnancy is also facing a greater risk of having this disease. Other factors considered are past deliveries of an abnormally big baby or giving birth to a baby with defects. Having excess amniotic fluid may also leave a woman prone to having diabetes. If you are at high risk, have yourself glucose tested as soon as possible.
To consider yourself at low risk, you must be below 25 years old, you must have a normal weight before and during your pregnancy and there must be no cases of diabetes in your family. Your medical history should also be clear from abnormal glucose tolerance and poor pregnancy results.
This disease may not produce any symptoms. However, if you belong to the high risk group, you must watch out for more than the usual feeling of thirst or hunger, increased urination, weakness and recurring urinary tract or vaginal infections.
Keeping your blood sugar levels normal is the main point in preventing gestational diabetes. But, the first step would be is to find out if you belong to the high risk or low risk margin. This will help you and your medical practitioner create a plan in terms of the diet you must undergo, lifestyle changes you must follow and certain medicines you have to take (if there are any).
Regular exercise and eating the right foods are the best ways to achieve a healthy and active lifestyle. Especially for pregnant women, it is not only yourself that you would want to protect from this disease but the innocent one’s life growing inside you. During pregnancy, it will be extremely helpful if you enroll in soon-to-be-moms workout classes or buy instructional DVDs for safe pregnancy exercises. Spending thirty minutes a day thrice a week doing these light to moderate movements will give you energy, help bodily systems work properly, increase your metabolism and can even help you give birth more easily.
Lastly, you are what you eat and following a special diet plan is extremely beneficial for the mother and the growing fetus. There is no standard when it comes to gestational diabetes meal planning. It depends on several factors such as age, weight, eating habits and lifestyle of an individual. Its only aim is for that person to gain maximum nutrition for her condition through a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, meat and other foodstuff rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. It also includes the avoidance of foods with too much sugar, fats and complex carbohydrates.
By knowing and heeding this information, you will have bigger chances of preventing and protecting yourself and your child against gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes can only be acquired during pregnancy. If a pregnant woman is suffering from this disease, it just means that her body is not able to produce the right amount of insulin that a person needs to control blood sugar and prevent it from shooting up. The disease can be passed on to the fetus and may gravely affect its health.
Gestational diabetes is detected during the 24th to 28th week period of pregnancy through what they call an oral glucose tolerance test. It is a diagnostic test wherein the patient is advised to fast from food for four to eight hours to clear the blood. Then, her blood sugar level will be measured to get the normal sugar count.
After this, she will be asked to take a sugar drink, only to be tested again after two hours to detect if there is an abnormal increase in blood sugar level. If the patient registers a blood sugar level of below 140 mg/dl, then she is safe. But if the patient gets a higher count, then she is identified with gestational diabetes.
Women who has a family history of diabetes or who have experienced this disease in prior pregnancies may develop gestational diabetes. Women older than 25 years old and are obese before and during pregnancy is also facing a greater risk of having this disease. Other factors considered are past deliveries of an abnormally big baby or giving birth to a baby with defects. Having excess amniotic fluid may also leave a woman prone to having diabetes. If you are at high risk, have yourself glucose tested as soon as possible.
To consider yourself at low risk, you must be below 25 years old, you must have a normal weight before and during your pregnancy and there must be no cases of diabetes in your family. Your medical history should also be clear from abnormal glucose tolerance and poor pregnancy results.
This disease may not produce any symptoms. However, if you belong to the high risk group, you must watch out for more than the usual feeling of thirst or hunger, increased urination, weakness and recurring urinary tract or vaginal infections.
Keeping your blood sugar levels normal is the main point in preventing gestational diabetes. But, the first step would be is to find out if you belong to the high risk or low risk margin. This will help you and your medical practitioner create a plan in terms of the diet you must undergo, lifestyle changes you must follow and certain medicines you have to take (if there are any).
Regular exercise and eating the right foods are the best ways to achieve a healthy and active lifestyle. Especially for pregnant women, it is not only yourself that you would want to protect from this disease but the innocent one’s life growing inside you. During pregnancy, it will be extremely helpful if you enroll in soon-to-be-moms workout classes or buy instructional DVDs for safe pregnancy exercises. Spending thirty minutes a day thrice a week doing these light to moderate movements will give you energy, help bodily systems work properly, increase your metabolism and can even help you give birth more easily.
Lastly, you are what you eat and following a special diet plan is extremely beneficial for the mother and the growing fetus. There is no standard when it comes to gestational diabetes meal planning. It depends on several factors such as age, weight, eating habits and lifestyle of an individual. Its only aim is for that person to gain maximum nutrition for her condition through a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, meat and other foodstuff rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. It also includes the avoidance of foods with too much sugar, fats and complex carbohydrates.
By knowing and heeding this information, you will have bigger chances of preventing and protecting yourself and your child against gestational diabetes.
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