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High blood sugar during pregnancy can lead to gestational diabetes, which can cause health problems for both mother and baby. The placenta creates hormones that limit insulin use, causing blood sugar to rise. Eating well and exercising can reduce the risk, and low blood sugar can be solved by eating small, frequent meals.
A woman’s blood sugar is often higher than normal during pregnancy, especially during the first and third trimesters. Nearly 5 percent of pregnant women do not produce the required amount of insulin needed to process the excess glucose their bodies create, leading to gestational or pregnancy-induced diabetes. This can lead to health problems for both mother and baby; as a result, it is very common to test a woman’s blood sugar during pregnancy. In some cases, a woman’s blood sugar may become too low, especially if she suffers from severe morning sickness.
The placenta creates hormones that can limit the amount of insulin a woman’s body can use and cause blood sugar to rise. This typically occurs during the first trimester, when hormonal changes come on suddenly and can continue to get worse as the fetus grows. Gestational diabetes is most often diagnosed between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy. The pancreas, the organ responsible for producing insulin, needs to produce up to three times more insulin during pregnancy than when a woman is not pregnant. If insulin production fails to keep up, a woman’s blood sugar levels can become dangerously high.
Although most pregnant women have a slight increase in blood sugar, it is usually within an acceptable range. A small percentage of women become intolerant to glucose, the sugar present in the blood, and suffer from gestational diabetes. These women typically need to follow a specific diet, exercise regularly, have routine blood sugar tests, and may need insulin during pregnancy. In most cases, the problem stops shortly after delivery, although in very rare cases gestational diabetes can turn into regular diabetes.
This rise in blood sugar during pregnancy can cause some health problems for the woman, but is usually not life threatening. Blurred vision, thirst or excessive urination, and weight loss are the most common. The primary concern is the health of the fetus, as high blood sugar can cause birth defects, miscarriages in early pregnancy, problems with delivery, and increase the risks of stillbirth. If left untreated, your baby may have low blood sugar after birth, which can be life-threatening if left untreated.
A woman’s blood sugar is often tested with urine samples and a glucose tolerance test during the second trimester. If the results of these tests come back abnormal, a woman will likely need to take a three-hour glucose test to determine if gestational diabetes is a risk. Eating well during pregnancy and exercising regularly can greatly reduce the chances of developing this problem.
In rare cases, a woman’s blood sugar may become too low. This typically occurs when a woman doesn’t eat enough or has trouble holding down food, which is common during the first trimester. Eating small, light meals several times a day can often solve the problem. In rare cases, a woman with hypoglycemia during pregnancy may require hospitalization.
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