Facts and Figures

What is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is a condition that prevents your body from making or using insulin during pregnancy (American Diabetes Association [ADA], 2013). Gestational diabetes affects approximately 18% of pregnant women (ADA, 2013). 

Although gestational diabetes is temporary, a mother may end up developing Type 2 diabetes if she does not properly manage gestational diabetes.

What is Insulin and why do we need it?

a)      Digestion and Glucose

The body needs energy on a daily basis. We obtain energy, in the form of glucose or blood sugar, from food or some beverages.  After a meal, the body breaks down food into small particles through an organized process called digestion.  Thanks to digestion, glucose is released in the bloodstream for use by different cells in the body. 

b)     Insulin

On its own, glucose is unable to enter cells.  Insulin is needed to facilitate the process of helping glucose enter cells. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas.  The pancreas is a gland located in the abdomen and surrounded by other important organs such as the liver, the stomach, the small intestine, and the gallbladder (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network [PCAN], 2013]. 

c)      Pancreas Produces Insulin and Other Important Substances

The pancreas produces two categories of substances, enzymes and hormones.  Enzymes are used during digestion and hormones are released in the bloodstream in other to be used in other areas of the body (PCAN, 2013).  Such hormones include insulin and glucagon. 

d)     Insulin Action

When the level of blood sugar is high, insulin helps in carrying glucose into the cells and when the level of sugar is low in the bloodstream (PCAN, 2013).  We need insulin to obtain energy that the body uses on a daily basis. 

e)      What happens to the Body when Insulin is Insufficient?

Without insulin, the body will end up with excessive blood sugar.  Excessive blood sugar can have damaging consequences for the mother, but also for the child who is on the way.    

f)       One More Resource for your Information

In case you are interested in a visual explanation about insulin, please review the following video produced by Mechanisms in Medicine and retrieved from YouTube (2011).

     

Pregnancy and Insulin Use

During pregnancy, the placenta produces hormones that help in the development of the fetus and that may interfere with insulin action in the body (ADA, 2013).  As insulin’s action becomes impaired, blood glucose accumulates, leading to gestational diabetes.

Signs and Symptoms

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (2013), signs and symptoms usually appear between the 24^th and the 28^th week of pregnancy and may include:

Ø  Blurred vision

Ø  Fatigue

Ø  Frequent infection (vagina, bladder, skin)

Ø  Increased thirst

Ø  Increased urination

Ø  Nausea and vomiting

Consequences of Gestational Diabetes

Both the mother and the baby are affected by gestational diabetes, if not managed during pregnancy.  Consequences for the mother include (CDC, 2013):

Ø  High risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes

Ø  Increased discomfort during the last trimester of pregnancy due to a large baby

Ø  Possibility of having a C-section due to a large baby

Ø  It may take longer to heal from a C-section

Consequences for the baby include (CDC, 2013; U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2013):

Ø  Birth trauma, due to large size

Ø  Low blood sugar shortly after birth due to high insulin levels

o   May be treated by feeding the baby

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001898/figure/A000896.B19724/?report=objectonly

Are you at Risk?

Whether you have had gestational diabetes before or not, the risk factors for developing the condition include:

Ø  Gestational diabetes in previous pregnancy or pregnancies

Ø  Delivery of a baby weighing more than 9 pounds (or about 4 kilograms)

Ø  Current weight status is overweight or obese

Ø  Being 25 years of age or older

Ø  A family history of diabetes (CDC, 2013)

 
Treatment

ADA (2013) suggests early treatment to avoid adverse consequences for the mother and the baby.  Treatment includes:

Ø  Special meal plan

Ø  Scheduled physical activities

Ø  Insulin injection in some cases

Ø  Daily blood glucose testing, of required

In general, gestational diabetes goes away after pregnancy (ADA, 2013).  However, mothers, who have had gestational diabetes before, have the risk of developing the condition in the future.  Sometimes, gestational diabetes may coincide with a diabetic condition showing up during pregnancy.  If this is the case, it is recommended to continue with diabetes treatment, even after pregnancy.

 References:

American Diabetes Association. (2013). Diabetes basics. Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/what-is-gestational-diabetes.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Diabetes public health resources. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/factsheets.htm

Mechanisms in Medicine. (Producer). (2011). Role of insulin in the human body [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYH1deu7-4E

National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2013). Gestational diabetes. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001898/

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. (2013). Learn about pancreatic cancer. Retrieved from http://www.pancan.org/section_facing_pancreatic_cancer/learn_about_pan_cancer/what_is_the_pancreas.php

U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2013). Infant of diabetic mother. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001597.htm