What are the Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes?

November 15, 2008 · Filed Under diabetes  Bookmark and Share

Gestational diabetes is a condition in which a pregnant woman suffers from higher then normal blood glucose levels. Medical science does not know the exact cause of this form of diabetes but many think it is linked to the stress of pregnancy on the woman’s body. For the majority of women there are no noticeable symptoms of gestational diabetes and they are unaware that they have this condition until they are tested.Symptoms of gestational diabetes:

Increased urination

Some women are at greater risk for developing gestational diabetes. Any pregnant woman can develop it. Review the following factors that can increase your risk of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy:

Age: Women older than age 25 are at a higher risk

Family or personal history: If you have a close family member such as a parent or sibling who has type 2 diabetes you are at higher risk. If you had gestational diabetes in your previous pregnancy, you are at a higher risk for subsequent pregnancies.

It is often quite hard to detect the disease because the body is undergoing dramatic changes all the time, many of which a being experienced for the first time. A pregnant woman will be in contact with her doctor frequently during the pregnancy so it is a good idea to mention any unusual changes in the body. Generally the condition will affect women in the latter stages of pregnancy (around 24-28 weeks). A classic symptom of gestational diabetes is excessive thirst or polydipsia. This could be accompanied by frequent urination (polyuria).

Signs Of Gestational Diabetes

The most common signs associated with gestational diabetes are extreme hunger and thirst .

Although a growling stomach is certainly no stranger to a pregnant woman, any extreme feelings may be signs of a problem.

Associated with the increased liquid intake is an increased urinary output. Again, this is a common complaint for pregnant women, but any extreme urination should be noted.

Other symptoms include blurred vision and excess weight gain.

One of the most common signs of diabetes would be the urge to urinate frequently. Somehow it is very easy to spot this kind of sign. You just need to ask yourself, “Am I visiting the bathroom to urinate more frequently?” If the answer is yes, then you must be in the look out for some other symptoms of having diabetes. Frequent urination is caused due to increased levels of glucose in your blood. In short, having lesser glucose in the blood would likely lead to let your bladder feel full and thus keeps you having the urge to urinate often.

Controlling This Condition:

It usually disappears after pregnancy.  However, controlling gestational diabetes is extremely important during pregnancy.  Otherwise, it can lead to severe complications in the fetus such as congenital defects, abnormal physiological and neurological developmental patterns, and conditions such as macrosomia, jaundice, hypoglycemia and injuries during birth time.

In the mother, this condition causes formation of overweight baby.  Due to this, delivery becomes extremely traumatic.  In women with this condition, there is an increased risk of preeclampsia characterized by hypertension and presence of excess protein in the urine. Also, women tend to develop type 2 diabetes after a couple of years.









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