Along with all the worries and complications a woman might face while pregnant, one of the more serious conditions is gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs in 4% of all pregnancies (Seibel, 2009). Many women are not informed about the disease, some may not know that they need to be tested, and others may have heard about it, but want more information on what may cause it and/or how to prevent and treat it. Either way this disease needs to be taken seriously by every pregnant woman or woman planning to get pregnant to protect not only herself but the unborn child.
Gestational diabetes is a disorder characterized by impaired ability to metabolize carbohydrates, usually caused by a deficiency of insulin resistance, occurring in pregnancy (Seibel, 2009). After the baby is delivered the disorder disappears but in few cases it has returned as type 2 diabetes. There are many factors that increase the risk in women to acquire the disorder, being overweight prior to becoming pregnant, a family history of diabetes, having too much amniotic fluid, and having sugar in your urine are just some of them (Namak, 2010). During a normal pregnancy tissue resistance to insulin is present, and weight gain and presence of placental hormones can contribute to this insulin resistance ( Gutierrez, 2007). Pregnant women require two to three times more insulin than a woman who is not pregnant, and the insulin production and increased tissue resistance causes this glucose intolerance or increased blood sugar levels or gestational diabetes ( Gutierrez, 2007).
“Almost all women have some type of impaired glucose in tolerance resulting from hormonal changes they go through during pregnancy. This means that their blood sugar levels may be higher...
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...st twice the risk of developing diabetes compared to those who had breastfed (Doheny, 2010). Overall the study showed to be successful, but only for those women who breastfed all of their children for a month or longer. So with these studies it encourages women to take part in the well being of themselves and their unborn child by getting tested for gestational diabetes earlier than later.
Gestational diabetes may only be a disease that last throughout a pregnancy, but it is very harmful to not only the mother but also can be for the unborn baby. It is important that gestational diabetes is widely known and understood because the earlier in the pregnancy the patient knows the better. Gestational diabetes can be extremely harmful so it is nothing to take lightly; patients have to know that they must follow the instructions given to prevent the disease to worsen.
According WebMD 2014. Diabetes mellitus (or diabetes) is a chronic, lifelong condition that affects your body's ability to use the energy found in food. There are three major types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes. It is a hormonal disorder of the pancreas either decrease in insulin level also known as hypoinsulinism or increase in insulin level also known as hyperinsulinism. Lowered amounts, insufficient of, or ineffective use of insulin leads to the disorder of diabetes mellitus. It is common chronic disease requiring lifelong behavioral and lifestyle changes. According to Peakman (2012). The development of type 1 diabetes mellitus is a genetic and an autoimmune process that results in destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas, leading to absolute insulin deficiency. There is usually a pre-diabetic phase where autoimmunity has already developed but with no clinically apparent insulin dependency. Insulin autoantibodies can be detected in genetically predisposed individuals as early as 6-12 months of age. In persons genetically susceptible to type 1 diabetes, a triggering event, possibly a viral infection the leads to production of autoantibodies that kill the beta cells and results in decline and a lack of insulin secretion. According to Wherrett. It is caused by impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance and has a gradual onset. Those with type 2 diabetes may eventually need insulin treatment. Gestational diabetes mellitus is glucose intolerance during pregnancy in a woman not previously diagnosed with diabetes, this may occur if placental hormones counteract insulin, causing insulin intolerance. Complications in diabetes mellitus includes: Hypoglycemia it is ca...
4: Evers IM, De Valk HW, Visser GHA (2004) Risk of complications of pregnancy in women with Type 1 diabetes: Nationwide prospective study in the Netherlands. British Medical Journal 328, 915-917.
These women could anticipate delays in normal growth and development for the fetus. The exact cause of post term pregnancy is unknown. The mother experiencing post term pregnancy is at risk for trauma, hemorrhage, infection, and labor abnormalities (Ward et al., 2016, p. 543). Labor induction prior to 42 weeks’ gestation prevents MAS and other complications. A biophysical profile measuring the heart rate, breathing and body movements, tone, and the amniotic fluid volume is used to monitor the fetus for intrapartum fetal stress that could cause passage of meconium. Diabetic woman is at high risk for preeclampsia or eclampsia, infection, hydramnios, postpartum hemorrhage, and cesarean birth (Ward et al., 2016, p. 383). In addition, fetal macrosomia prolongs labor due to shoulder dystocia. The glucose challenge test, and the 3- hour OGTT is used for gestational diabetes screening, done after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Abnormalities of the respiratory system as explained earlier are the most concerning complication of MAS, needing immediate
The faulty responsiveness of body tissues to insulin normally entails the insulin receptor found in cell membranes. The other type, the gestational diabetes happens in women who have not been diagnosed with diabetes before and show elevated blood glucose amounts during pregnancy. There is no explicit reason that has been acknowledged but it is assumed that the hormones secreted dur...
While a woman is generally safe from complications from gestational diabetes, there are some very big risks to the baby. If gestational diabetes goes undiagnosed, there is a greater risk of stillbirth. Other complications can include a condition called macrosomia, where the baby is born weighing 9 ¾ pounds or more. Excessively large babies can make delivery more difficult for both mother and child and as a result, birth injuries are more common in these babies. Other problems include hypoglycemia in the baby shortly after birth. The risk of gestational diabetes is higher in women who are over 30 years old, have a family history of diabetes, are obese, and those who have previously had a macrosomic baby.
Diabetes is a metabolic disease where the body is unable to produce any- or enough- insulin which causes high glucose levels in return. There are 3 different types of diabetes that people are most familiar with. Type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease where that person would need insulin from the second they’re diagnosed. Type 2 diabetes, which may take months or even years for a person to require insulin. With type 2 diabetes, the affected person is usually older and overweight. The third type that people are most familiar with is Gestational diabetes. GD occurs during pregnancy. Around 28 weeks gestation, the pregnant woman is instructed to go for a one hour glucose test to check for diabetes. Usually after the pregnancy, the diabetes goes away- although there are some cases where it doesn’t.
There are three classifications of diabetes mellitus, Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, and Gestational diabetes (GD). The symptoms and effects of all three forms of diabetes are similar and the outcome for all three types is high blood glucose level or hyperglycemia. The noticeable symptoms include increased thirst (polydipsia), increased urination (polyuria), incre...
Current theories link the cause of diabetes, singly or in combination, to genetic, autoimmune, viral, and environmental factors (obesity, stress). Regardless of its cause, diabetes is primarily a disorder of glucose metabolism related to absent or insufficient insulin supplies and/or poor utilization of the insulin that is available. The two most common types of diabetes are classified as type I or type II diabetes mellitus. Gestational diabetes and secondary diabetes are other classifications of diabetes commonly seen in clinical practice
In conclusion, women with a history of gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. By following health interventions they are able to decrease the chance and can avoid the development of diabetes. Abiding by these healthy lifestyle changes increases quality of life of both mom and infant.
First of all, diabetes also known as diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that a person gets from high blood glucose or when your bodies cells do not respond to insulin and in some cases both (Medical News Today). There are three types of diabetes type 1, type 2, and gestational. All cases of diabetes do not affect you the same and all have different syndromes that will affect your body differently. While men can get two of these cases of diabetes, women can get all three.
Even though it has long been known that women with preexisting type 1 and type 2 diabetes are at increased risk for adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, the relationship of GDM to various perinatal risks has been less clear. O'Sullivan and Mahan3 developed, Glucose tolerance test criteria for the diagnosis of GDM, nearly 50 years ago. It has been known that, if optimal care is not provided, women with GDM and elevated fast¬ing glucose levels appear to be at risk for fetal overgrowth and perinatal morbidity.4
...s. Most women are fortunate and have an outcome of a full term, healthy baby, however, there are some women that are not so fortunate and have preterm births. With this said, all women, when contemplating pregnancy, should be aware of all the risks and possible complications that can arise and also the preventions that can be taken.
Bennett, L.B., Bolem, S. Wilson, L.M., Bass, E.B., Nicholson, W.K. (2009). Performance Characteristics of Postpartum Screening Tests for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Women with a History of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review, 18(7), Retrieved from http://lib-proxy.calumet.purdue.edu:2461/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?hid=15&sid=af725124-1c4c-4d18-9e92-35d14ad23d66%40sessionmgr4&vid=15
The general health and well-being of a pregnant woman and her baby is always the priority during the entire journey of pregnancy. When a pregnant woman is diagnosed to have gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), this may implicate short or long term complications to the woman and the fetus.
The pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus in is related to the insulin hormone. Insulin is secreted by cells in the pancreas and is responsible for regulating the level of glucose in the bloodstream. It also aids the body in breaking down the glucose to be used as energy. When someone suffers from diabetes, however, the body does not break down the glucose in the blood as a result of abnormal insulin metabolism. When there are elevated levels of glucose in the blood, it is known as hyperglycemia. If the levels continue to remain high over an extended period of time, damage can be done to the kidneys, cardiovascular systems; you can get eye disorders, or even cause nerve damage. When the glucose levels are low in one’s body, it is called hypoglycemia. A person begins to feel very jittery, and possibly dizzy. If that occurs over a period of time, the person can possibly faint. Diabetes mellitus occurs in three different forms - type 1, type 2, and gestational.