Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy in a woman who has never had diabetes and usually disappears after the baby is born.

Gestational diabetes is treatable, especially if it is detected in the early stages of pregnancy. Treating diabetes lowers a baby’s risk of health problems, such as respiratory distress syndrome (due to which newborns have difficulty breathing), obesity (increases the chance of being very large or later obese). in life) and the risk of becoming diabetic.

During pregnancy, hormones secreted by the placenta block the action of insulin secreted by the mother in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance and makes it very difficult for the mother’s body to use insulin. Insulin requirements may increase in these conditions up to three times the normal value.

For many pregnant women, it will not be a problem because their pancreas will compensate and secrete even more insulin. In some cases, however, this does not happen. Without insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood to be transformed into cells into energy and accumulates in the blood to high levels, a situation called hyperglycemia, and the result will be gestational diabetes.