Gestational Diabetes Risks and Complications

Diabetes is an illness that affects millions around the world, and if left untreated, serious health problems can crop up. The same can be said for gestational diabetes. Even though this form of diabetes is a temporary one, since it only occurs during pregnancy, damage to the developing baby is a real possibility, not to mention harmful to the mother, as well. So, if you're diagnosed it pays to understand the gestational diabetes risks that can be involved.

Some of the major issues that are present with gestational diabetes affect the unborn child more than the mother. Studies show that babies that are born to mothers who have untreated gestational diabetes can be born macrosomic, which means the baby is born very obese. This can be extremely dangerous not just to the long term health of the baby, but it also increases the chances of complications during delivery. The chances of some kind of harm coming to the mother during delivery if the baby is heavier are much greater than if the baby is normal sized.

One of the conditions the mother has to endure while suffering from gestational diabetes is hyperglycemia, which is too much sugar in the blood. Ironically, however, the baby will most likely suffer from hypoglycaemia, which means too little sugar in the blood. This condition is just as dangerous, but when it is affecting a brand new life, it can turn deadly.

Babies born to mothers who suffered from gestational diabetes during pregnancy can also show malformation of the lungs, which can result in severe breathing problems, which can have life long impacts. Studies have shown that if the baby survives past the initial health problems, he or she is more likely to grow up obese and have to fight being overweight for the rest of their lives, as well as having to deal with a glucose (sugar) intolerance, too.

Another condition that is closely associated with babies born from mothers who suffered from gestational diabetes is the presence of jaundice. While the condition isn't life threatening to your baby, it should be closely watched by a medical professional. It is caused by the liver not being fully formed during birth and not performing as it should.

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For the mother, the two major side effects from suffering from gestational diabetes are high blood pressure, probably from the stress of having gestational diabetes and worrying about what it is doing to your foetus as well as from the actual diabetes, and an increased likelihood of getting non-gestational diabetes later in life.

The best course of action is to consult a medical professional and make sure that any gestational diabetes risks are treated properly from the first trimester of your pregnancy to the end.

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