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Hormonal changes during pregnancy cause insulin resistance, leading to high blood sugar and gestational diabetes. Risk factors include obesity, family history, and certain ethnicities. High blood sugar can lead to birth defects, complications during delivery, and low blood sugar in the baby. Testing and monitoring are crucial for safe pregnancy.
High blood sugar in pregnancy is caused by the hormonal changes a woman’s body goes through during pregnancy. The placenta, which helps nourish the baby in the mother’s womb, produces hormones that cause cells in the mother’s body to reject insulin. This is known as insulin resistance and increases as the placenta enlarges during pregnancy. Usually, the mother’s pancreas will produce three times the normal amount of insulin to compensate. If she is unable to keep up, it leads to a condition known as gestational diabetes.
When a woman is diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and that doesn’t mean she has diabetes. The hormonal changes of pregnancy itself cause high blood sugar, and a mother might have normal blood sugar when she’s not pregnant. Those at highest risk include women who are overweight, have a family history of diabetes, or have a certain heritage, such as Hispanics, Blacks, American Indians, or Asians. Also at high risk are women who have urine sugar or moderately high blood sugar levels in general, gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds (4.1 kg), had a stillbirth, or have too much amniotic fluid . Some women, however, develop high blood sugar levels in pregnancy without any known risk factors.
The risks of having high blood sugar during pregnancy are numerous. Out of control blood sugar in early pregnancy can lead to birth defects of the brain and heart or possible miscarriage. Later in the pregnancy, it can lead to the baby outgrowing it. This can lead to complications during delivery, such as shoulder trauma or the need for a C-section instead of a vaginal birth. A baby’s blood sugar can also drop significantly after birth if he or she is used to a high blood sugar environment while in the womb.
People at high risk for this problem should be tested for gestational diabetes as soon as possible, but most other women can be screened during week 24. The test involves consuming a sugary liquid and checking your blood sugar at regular intervals. If gestational diabetes is found, a woman will need to monitor her blood sugar four times a day and take insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. Diet, exercise, and follow-up with a doctor will also be an important part of her safe pregnancy as a gestational diabetic.
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