Diabetes that develops during pregnancy is known as gestational diabetes. It occurs because your body cannot produce enough insulin (a hormone important in controlling blood glucose) to meet its extra needs in pregnancy. This results in high blood glucose levels.
Gestational diabetes usually starts in the middle or towards the end of pregnancy.
Cause:
Pregnancy makes the body need more insulin to control the levels of sugar (glucose) in the body. Therefore, women with diabetes usually need more treatments to control their blood sugar when they are pregnant.
If the diabetes is not well controlled during the pregnancy this may cause harm for both you and your baby. Therefore you will need more regular check-ups with a doctor, and to see a specialist during the pregnancy. This will help to reduce the risks and help you to stay well and have a healthy baby.
Risk factors:
You are more likely to develop gestational diabetes if you have any of the following risk factors:
- your body mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher
- you have previously given birth to a large baby, weighing 4.5 kg (10 lbs) or more
- you have had gestational diabetes before
- you have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes
- your family origin is South Asian, Chinese, African-Caribbean or Middle Eastern.
When to see a doctor?
Gestational diabetes usually shows up in the middle of pregnancy. Doctors most often test for it between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. You need to make sure you attended all the visits to your doctor as recommended by her.
https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/patients/patient-leaflets/gestational-diabetes
https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/diabetes.html
https://patient.info/pregnancy/pregnancy-complications/diabetes-and-pregnancy