7 Gestational Diabetes Symptoms And Risk Factors

Gestational diabetes refers to diabetes that is induced by being pregnant. This type of diabetes affects the mother's blood sugar levels and high levels can affect your pregnancy and the baby's health. The third trimester is usually when the risks are the highest. About 4% of pregnant women will develop gestational diabetes. High risk women are screened as soon as possible during their pregnancies and all other women will be screened at between 24 and 28 weeks.

There are very few symptoms of gestational diabetes, and its detection should be a regular part of your pre-natal care. A blood test will determine if you require further testing to see if you are suffering from this disorder. Further testing will involve a glucose test that has you drink a sugary solution and then test your blood sugar levels.

Treatment usually involved exercise, eating changes, checking blood sugar often and possibly taking insulin shots to keep blood sugar levels within a target range. Again, there are few symptoms, but many risk factors you can consider.

1. Two possible symptoms of gestational diabetes are increased thirst and too frequent urination. You may also experience increased hunger or blurred vision. These can be difficult to differentiate from typical pregnancy symptoms.

2. Another risk factor is based on age. In particular, risk goes up after the age of 25.

3. Pre-diabetes, characterized by elevated blood sugar levels, are also indications to watch for. While every pregnant woman will have some elevation of blood sugar while pregnant, it is not normal to reach diabetic levels.

4. Other risk factors include previous unexplained stillbirth, or a baby that weighed more than 9 lbs. Gestational diabetes can cause birth defects and increased risk for miscarriage in early pregnancy months. In the last trimester, it can cause over-nutrition and excess growth for the baby. Large babies increase risks during labor and delivery.

5. If you are overweight by 20% or more of your ideal weight prior to becoming pregnant, you increase your risk.

6. If member of your close family such as a parent or sibling have diabetes, you are also at increased risk of developing it during pregnancy. Diabetes is genetic and tends to be handed down in families.

7. Developing gestational diabetes means you will be checked regularly after your pregnancy to make sure blood sugar levels have returned to normal. Women who have gestational diabetes are more likely to develop diabetes later in life.

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Risk Factors and Symptoms For Gestational Diabetes

There are several risk factors for gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a glucose intolerance that develops in pregnancy. While gestational diabetes only affects about 4% of pregnant women, if you feel you are at risk, you may want to get tested. Most doctors do a glucose test between 20 and 24 weeks gestation. You will need to fast before this test. You'll have to drink a syrupy liquid, and then have blood drawn an hour later. If your numbers are high after this test, they will have you do a 3-hour test. This longer test is what will give you a definite diagnosis.

Most women with Gestational Diabetes rarely show signs or smptoms of GD. That is why it is important to know the risk factors for Gestational Diabetes and check with your doctor.

Some common signs of gestational diabetes are......

oIncreased Thirst

oIncreased Urination - This is especially hard to tell since pregnant women have to urinate more often than normal.

oWeight Loss - Weight loss with increased appetite.

oFatique - Again, most pregnant women feel more tired than usual.

oNausea and Vomiting

oFrequent Infections

oBlurred Vision

Risk Factors

oAge - While there is some dispute as to what the age is for being at risk, medical authorities will quote anytime between 25 to 35 years of age as being a determining factor.

oObesity - One of the major risk factors for gestational diabetes, obesity is defined as scoring more than 30 body mass index (BMI) for your height and weight.

oRace - Women of Hispanic, Native American, African American, Pacific Island or South or East Asian descent seem to be more at risk for gestational diabetes.

oFamily history - If your parents or siblings suffer from diabetes of any type, it can increase your chances of developing gestational diabetes when pregnant.

oGestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy - If you developed diabetes in a previous pregnancy, chances are it will come back in subsequent pregnancies. Your chances of developing it again range from 30 to 80%, depending on your other risk factors.

oBirthed a large baby - Again, there are a few disparities. Some authorities consider a previous baby over 8 lbs 5 oz as a risk factor, while others don't count the weight of previous babies unless they are 9 lbs or more. While gestational diabetes can be a cause for high birth weights, it can also cause low birth weight babies. High birth weight babies will often have their blood sugar tested at the hospital to make sure they don't suddenly drop to a low level.

oMiscarriages/still births - If you have had unexplained miscarriages or had a stillbirth, you may be more at risk for developing gestational diabetes. Miscarriage is a symptom of PCOS, which in turn could lead to diabetes due to insulin resistance.

oSmoking - Smokers have double the chance of developing gestational diabetes than those who do not smoke. Smoking also can cause other gestational complications like a low birth-weight baby and placental problems.

oPolycystic Ovarian Syndrome - Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) already causes difficulty in conception due to hormonal imbalances. Women suffering from PCOS often experience weight problems, irregular ovulation and menstrual cycles, and excessive effects of masculine hormones. PCOS causes a resistance to insulin, which in pregnancy is more pronounced due to the extra needs of the fetus and the mother's body.

As you can see, it is important to check your risk factors for gestational diabetes. The more risk factors you have, the more important it is that you be tested early in your pregnancy so treatment can get started.

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