Recognizing the Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes

Women who are pregnant and have higher then normal blood glucose levels suffer from condition known as gestational diabetes. Although it is not known what causes this particular form of diabetes doctors and scientists believe it is linked to the additional stress that pregnancy puts on a woman's body. Most women are asymptomatic, meaning they have no symptoms of gestational diabetes, and are unaware that they may have this dangerous disease during their pregnancy. This is why all women are tested at their 24 week of pregnancy.

The placenta, which is the life support system for the fetus, is thought to be the underlying cause of this condition. It produces a vast amount of hormones during a pregnancy and some of these hormones alter the effectiveness of the mother's insulin. Insulin's primary responsibility is to transport glucose (sugar) out of the blood stream and into the cells for energy. If it can no longer do this it results in high blood glucose levels and the body responds by producing more insulin, in many cases up to three times the normal amount, which is known as insulin resistance.

If a woman does exhibit the signs and symptoms of gestational diabetes they are normally the more well known type that affect all diabetics, including:

1. Frequency of urination caused by high blood glucose levels.

2. Being extremely thirsty all the time because of the increased urination.

3. Extreme hunger caused by the inability of the insulin to move sugar into the cells. Even though there is enough sugar in the blood stream the cells are unable to use it and this causes hunger.

4. Weight loss caused by the body breaking down protein and fat because it thinks it's hungry.

5. Fatigue as a result of an energy decrease.

6. Blurry vision caused by swelling of the lens due to the increased blood volume.

7. More irritability and moodiness.

As was stated before the majority of women show no signs of gestational diabetes. This is why it is so important for all women to be screened for this condition at 24 to 28 weeks into their pregnancy.

The test used is the oral glucose tolerance test where the woman drinks a drink that has 50g of concentrated glucose in it. Two blood draws are taken, one before she drinks the glucose concoction and one an hour later. If her blood glucose level is higher then 130 to 140 mg/dl she will need to do further testing.

This is known as the three hour, 100g oral glucose tolerance test which starts three days before the blood draws. For these three days the woman eats whatever she wants consuming no less then 150g of carbohydrates per day. The night before the test she stops eating at least 12 hours before and in the morning drinks a solution containing 100g of glucose. She then has her blood drawn four times, once before drinking the glucose, and then at 1 hour intervals after. Her blood glucose levels can not exceed the following levels for more then two of the tests.

Fasting - 95mg/dl

1 hour - 180mg/dl

2 hours - 155mg/dl

3 hours - 140mg/dl

If the symptoms of gestational diabetes are absent and a diagnosis is made because of the test results the pregnant woman will need to start a diet and exercise plan as outlined by her health care team. This plan is individualized to each woman and is necessary for the healthy outcome of her pregnancy.

For more information about the symptoms of gestational diabetes please visit the web site Diabetic Diet Plans by Clicking Here.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.