Gestational Diabetes Treatment

Diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy, generally in the twenty-eighth week or even later, in non-diabetic women is called gestational diabetes. It is observed that near about two to seven percent of expecting mothers develop this common health problem. Though most of the women who have this health issue during pregnancy period give birth to healthy babies. Before discussing the treatment options, let us first understand what this medical condition is all about.

What is Gestational Diabetes?

It is also called gestational diabetes mellitus that is, high content of sugar in blood and it is also known as intolerance of glucose during pregnancy. As we know that the food that we eat is broken down into sugar that is, glucose, which passes in our bloodstream with the help of insulin hormone produced by the pancreas. The pancreas produce the insulin in the required amount to accommodate sugar. When the pancreas produce insufficient insulin or the cells stop responding to the insulin, diabetes is caused.

During this time frame, the pancreas produce the required quantity of insulin, but its effect is partially blocked or can say obstructed by the other hormones - progesterone, prolactin, estrogen, cortisol and human placental lactogen, which is produced in the placenta during pregnancy. This process inhibits the insulin to act in a normal manner. With the growth of placenta these hormones also increases, making the body more and more insulin resistant. In such cases, it becomes essential to follow the treatment options your doctor suggested to avoid any risks in the future.

However, these options are limited as it is not a very complicated disorder. Mostly, diet adjustment is suggested to pregnant women. Another option for treatment is insulin injections when it is not controlled by the diet. Recently, as reported by the US News and World Report, two more options are made available as an oral supplement, which is safe for the pregnant women. They are Glyburide and Metformin, but they should be taken only after the doctor's prescription. Doing regular exercises and making slight changes in the eating habit would keep a check on your blood sugar level. Having a control over the sugar level will prevent problems during pregnancy.

Treatment for Gestational Diabetes

• Regular Exercises ~ Moderate exercises should be performed for minimum 2½ hours per week. In lieu of this, you can also keep your body active for at least 30 minutes in a day for five days in a week. Regular exercises help the body to control the excess blood sugar and utilize the insulin during pregnancy.
• Checking Blood Sugar ~ A very important protocol is checking the blood sugar twice every day. This helps you to know the range of your blood sugar and take the required steps. You can also consult a doctor about the number of times sugar test is needed.
• Regular Medical Checkup ~ This means that a pregnant woman must regularly visit the doctor to check for any improvements. During this, the doctor will test your urine sample as well as blood pressure and also give some instructions for exercises, eating habits, your weight and of course, blood sugar level.
• Checking Fetal Growth ~ A regular checkup might involve fetal ultrasound to check the growth of the baby. Other than this, check up is required to monitor the movements and kick counts of the baby. If the growth of the baby is more than normal, then you might need insulin shots, to keep the sugar level under control. After insulin shots you might also undergo non stress test to check the baby's heart beats.
• Balanced Diet ~ Once the diagnosis is complete, you must visit a dietitian and plan for a healthy diet. You need to control the intake of carbohydrates to keep the blood sugar in range. You can also follow a specially-designed diet plan (by your doctor) to have full control over it.
• Insulin Shots ~ If the blood sugar is not controlled after following a planned diet and regular exercises, then the treatment can be done by taking insulin shots. Without affecting the baby it keeps the blood sugar under control.

Gestational diabetes increases the chances of developing the type 2 diabetes. But by religiously following the treatment plan a pregnant woman can either reduce or completely eliminate the chances of any risk. A change in lifestyle after confirmed test will help in healthy pregnancy and prevent any disorder in the future.