Gestational Diabetes Symptoms
The development of gestational diabetes symptoms occurs during pregnancy. One of the problems is that most of the time women who have gestational diabetes are actually symptom-less, meaning that the only way to diagnose gestational diabetes is through blood testing throughout the pregnancy, and especially after the 20th week.
If a pregnant woman does have gestational diabetes symptoms, they are usually the same as those experienced by people with type 2 diabetes, and these women also are more likely to experience type 2 diabetes themselves later in their lives. Pregnant women should he on the alert for an increased thirst, increased urination, fatigue, malaise, depression, nausea or vomiting, dizziness or blurred vision, and bladder and yeast infections.
The cause of gestational diabetes symptoms is insulin resistance. This happens when the food you eat is broken down by the body to feed the cells in your body. Insulin is needed in each cell to turn the glucose from the food into energy. However, insulin-resistance stops the cells from breaking down glucose. It then stays in the blood causing high blood sugar levels. This is more apt to happen during pregnancy because the placenta produces hormones which sustain life for the fetus. It is these hormones that cause the insulin resistance. The placenta grows larger during the second and third trimesters which is why gestational diabetes is most often diagnosed at that time. The pancreas continually tries to produce enough insulin to overcome the resistance but is unable to keep up.
Gestational diabetes symptoms usually occur in women who are over the age of 25. You are also more likely to get have them if a someone in the immediate family--mother, father, brother or sister---has the diabetes. Being overweight or having had a baby over nine pounds in a previous pregnancy are also factors. If you are Asian, Native American, Hispanic or African American you are at greater risk
Complications during pregnancy can develop among those women with gestational diabetes symptoms. This can include an extra large baby who may require a c-section delivery or a baby with low blood sugar. A baby that has to be delivered early may have respiratory distress syndrome, meaning its lungs are too small for him or her to breathe without the assistance of a ventilator. Jaundice may also be present, and the baby will have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Women who are pregnant and who show gestational diabetes symptoms run a greater risk of developing preeclampsia, a condition where the pregnant woman has higher than normal blood pressure, along with excess protein in the urine. This is serious and can be life threatening to both mother and baby.
Overall, with increased knowledge of the causes and treatment of gestational diabetes, there is no longer any reason for a woman not to have a successful pregnancy and delivery.