Sugar Specialist for Gestational Diabetes

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy in the second or third trimester. Based on their risk factors, between 3 and 20 percent of pregnant women experience gestational diabetes.This typically happens during the second half of pregnancy and may go away as soon as the baby is born. An OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) is carried out to almost all Indian mothers in their second trimester to screen for Gestational Diabetes.

Around the 24-28 week of pregnancy, the placenta in the mother’s womb secretes a lot of hormones which are important for the growth of the baby. However, in susceptible mothers, these hormones can cause an insulin resistant state similar to Type 2 Diabetes. The resulting high blood sugar in the mother, if not treated, is carried to the foetus and can result in a condition called macrosomia (large baby). A large baby carries significant risk of a difficult delivery. Also these babies tend to have very low glucose levels after birth causing complications like seizures and coma. Hence it is very important to maintain a tight control on the blood sugar levels tightly during pregnancy.

The treatment is usually a combination of strict diabetic diet, mild exercise, metformin and insulin