What is Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)?
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that some patients develop during pregnancy due to changing hormone levels in the placenta. During pregnancy, it can be harder for your body to make enough insulin—insulin is the hormone that helps your body regulate blood sugar levels. Without enough insulin, blood sugars will rise, which is not good for the pregnant individual or baby.
A pregnant individual cannot pass diabetes onto her baby directly, but high blood sugar levels can cause your baby to put on too much weight, and it can impact the baby's delivery and health later on in life (obesity and chronic health conditions associated with obesity). There’s also there an increased risk for your baby becoming obese or developing type 2 diabetes later in their life.
Usually, there are no symptoms of gestational diabetes. This is why all women are screened for diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks or sooner if there are risk factors. Screening prevents complications from happening later in pregnancy.
Risk factors for Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs in about 9% of pregnancies in Nova Scotia. You’re more likely to be at risk of gestational diabetes if you:
· are over 35 years old
· have a family history of type 2 diabetes
· are overweight or gained more than recommended weight for weeks of pregnancy
· had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy
· had a large baby (greater than 9 lbs) at full term
· have polycystic ovarian syndrome
· are from Aboriginal, South Asian, Asian, African, Middle Eastern or Mediterranean background
Link: Gestational diabetes