Between 2-5 percent of all pregnant women get gestational diabetes. If left untreated, gestational diabetes can result in high birth weight, low blood sugar, and respiratory difficulties for your baby.

For this reason, all pregnant women should get screened for gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs when a woman’s pregnancy related hormones reduce the effectiveness of insulin, causing high amounts of blood sugar.

This condition can be diagnosed between the 24th – 28th weeks of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes has no discernable symptoms, so it’s important that every pregnant woman is screened for this.

First, your doctor will perform a glucose challenge test, where you will be required to drink a very sugary liquid in about 5 minutes. One hour later, a blood sample will be taken to determine if your glucose levels are high enough to signal the possible presence of gestational diabetes.

If your glucose level is above 140 milligrams per deciliter, this does not mean that you have gestational diabetes. However, it does mean that you should undergo a more accurate test called a glucose tolerance test.

In this test, you will have to drink a larger concentration of a glucose solution, and then have your blood tested hourly for three hours. If this test comes back positive you do have gestational diabetes, and you will have to adjust your pregnancy diet accordingly.

The good news is, this condition is controllable. By treating your gestational diabetes, your baby will be unharmed and healthy.

Share this: