Gestational Diabetes
Gestational Diabetes
Alivia Danna
October 5, 2011
HED 3390
Gestational Diabetes Gestational diabetes is a disease that affects pregnant women it’s a glucose intolerance that is started or diagnosed during pregnancy. Based on recently announced diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association, it is estimated that gestational diabetes affects 18% of pregnancies. Pregnancy hormones can block insulin therefore causing the glucose levels to increase in a pregnant woman’s blood. Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy (American Diabetes Association). Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels, which is called hyperglycemia. Gestational diabetes usually starts halfway through the pregnancy. All pregnant women should receive an oral glucose tolerance test between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy to screen for the condition. Women who have risk factors for gestational diabetes may have this test earlier in the pregnancy. The population that is more at risk are those over the age of 25, have family history of diabetes, large babies at birth, high blood pressure, and too much amniotic fluid (Pub Med Health). Gestational diabetes is not a serious complication or disease during pregnancy but it is something that should be monitored and diet and exercise should be in your daily routine when pregnant. My mother had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with my brother. Some of the symptoms she experienced were blurred vision, fatigue, and weight loss. This cause my mother to become concerned so she consulted her doctor and they did many tests and found out she had gestational diabetes. I think the main cause of her getting this disease was that she was over the age of 25 when she became pregnant and she had high blood pressure also. My mom also was considered a
Alivia Danna
October 5, 2011
HED 3390
Gestational Diabetes Gestational diabetes is a disease that affects pregnant women it’s a glucose intolerance that is started or diagnosed during pregnancy. Based on recently announced diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association, it is estimated that gestational diabetes affects 18% of pregnancies. Pregnancy hormones can block insulin therefore causing the glucose levels to increase in a pregnant woman’s blood. Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy (American Diabetes Association). Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels, which is called hyperglycemia. Gestational diabetes usually starts halfway through the pregnancy. All pregnant women should receive an oral glucose tolerance test between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy to screen for the condition. Women who have risk factors for gestational diabetes may have this test earlier in the pregnancy. The population that is more at risk are those over the age of 25, have family history of diabetes, large babies at birth, high blood pressure, and too much amniotic fluid (Pub Med Health). Gestational diabetes is not a serious complication or disease during pregnancy but it is something that should be monitored and diet and exercise should be in your daily routine when pregnant. My mother had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with my brother. Some of the symptoms she experienced were blurred vision, fatigue, and weight loss. This cause my mother to become concerned so she consulted her doctor and they did many tests and found out she had gestational diabetes. I think the main cause of her getting this disease was that she was over the age of 25 when she became pregnant and she had high blood pressure also. My mom also was considered a
References: Gestational diabetes - PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 4, 2011, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001898/ What is Gestational Diabetes? - American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). American Diabetes Association Home Page - American Diabetes Association. Retrieved October 4, 2011, from http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/what-is-gestational-diabetes.html