Gestational diabetes occurs in women who are 28 weeks pregnant or further. It generally occurs in women who do not have diabetes, but during their pregnancy, they have high blood sugar. Approximately 10% of pregnant women have gestational diabetes.
No one really knows what causes gestational diabetes The placenta supports the baby as it grows and hormones from the placenta help the baby develop. But these hormones also block the action of the mother's insulin in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it hard for the mother's body to use insulin, so she may need up to three times as much insulin.
Gestational diabetes begins when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels. This is called hyperglycemia.
Gestational diabetes can be harmful to both the mother and the baby, so immediate care must be taken. Treatment always includes a specific diet plan, close blood sugar monitoring, and possibly even daily insulin injections. If your medication is not quite right or if the diet plan is not being followed correctly, there is a risk of hypoglycemia, the opposite of hyperglycemia. Hypoglycemia occurs when there is not enough glucose in the blood.
Gestational diabetes generally disappears after giving birth, but once you have had it, you have a greater chance it will surface again in future pregnancies. In some cases, gestational diabetes uncovers type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
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