Gestational diabetes affects 4 out of 100 pregnant women

Of every 100 pregnant women, approximately four of them develop gestational diabetes.As in other types of diabetes, gestational diabetes is a condition in which the body has difficulty managing glucose (sugar) in the blood.Glucose is the main source of energy of the organism.Diabetes increases its blood sugar levels.This can create a very serious health problem for both the mother and the baby.

If gestational diabetes is not treated, the baby runs a greater risk of being born too large;with birth defects;Born lifeless or birth complications.

Babies too large can suffer injuries during vaginal delivery, which is why it is usually necessary to practice a caesarean section.Babies of mothers with gestational diabetes can have difficulty breathing, little blood sugar and jaundice during the first weeks after birth.Fortunately, gestational diabetes can be treated and controlled to protect the health of the mother and the baby.

Risk factors
A pregnant woman runs a greater risk for gestational diabetes if she is over 30 years old;It has over weight or has increased a lot of weight during pregnancy;He has one or more relatives with diabetes;It belongs to an ethnic group that is more likely to develop diabetes such as Hispanics, American, Asian or African -American Indians;He had gestational diabetes in his last pregnancy;He gave birth in his last pregnancy to a baby who weighed more than four kilos or had a lifeless birth.

It is good to remember that not all women who develop gestational diabetes have these risk factors.In fact, many women with gestational diabetes have no risk factor.

can be controlled
Most women are done a gestational diabetes test between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy, or before if you run the risk.If you have gestational diabetes, you can control it through diet and exercise.It is possible that your doctor recommends that the blood sugar level be controlled regularly at home.You can do it with a special needle test or a blood sugar meter.Some women with gestational diabetes need insulin injections.

This type of diabetes usually disappears after childbirth, but the women who develop it have a risk of developing it again in the future pregnancy, or developing diabetes in the future.Exercising, following a low sugar diet and losing weight can help you reduce the risk of developing diabetes in the future.