Diabetes - Gestational Diabetes Symptoms

Gestational Diabetes is one of the most commonly observed diseases that appear during
pregnancy. This form of diabetes develops in almost 3-5% of pregnancies. If left untreated,
it can eventually lead to several complications that harmful both for the mother and the
fetus. An important fact about gestational diabetes is that it is completely curable. In order
to do so, one must understand certain facts related to the disease such as the causes of
the disease, gestational diabetes symptoms and the ways of treatment.

What Causes Gestational Diabetes?:

Unlike other forms of diabetes, people do not understand the reasons associated with this
illness. In fact, exactly what causes gestational diabetes still remains elusive. One reason
cited by experts is that the placental hormones secreted during pregnancy interfere with
the insulin secretion from pancreas, something called as the "contra-insulin" effect. Also,
there are certain other reasons due to which it might appear during pregnancy:

1. Any past familial history.
2. Poly cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), obesity and being overweight.
3. If mother's age is above 35 at the time of pregnancy.
4. Often, it appears in women who have previously had a stillbirth and also in women
who had already experienced the disease in previous pregnancy.

Gestational Diabetes Symptoms:

This condition normally appears in the latter stages of pregnancy. In most cases, the
disease doesn't even exhibit any symptoms. Even if the symptoms appear, they are almost
similar to those observed in patients with type II diabetes. Some of these gestational
diabetes symptoms include:

1. Unquenchable thirst
2. Increased tendency to urinate frequently
3. Excessive hunger
4. Fatigue, nausea and vomiting
5. If left untreated, women experience symptoms such as recurrent vaginal infections and
blurred vision.

Naturally, many of these symptoms are quite common during pregnancy. However, if
these gestational diabetes symptoms appear between 24-28 weeks of gestation period,
doctors usually recommend getting a glucose tolerance test, a diagnostic procedure used
to detect blood glucose levels and diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes Treatment:

Whenever presence of gestational diabetes is confirmed by the doctor, it is important to
take immediate steps to control it. Failure to do so could result in several major
complications in the fetus such as macrosomia, jaundice, respiratory distress syndrome,
congenital hypoglycemia or might die during pregnancy. Ironically, medication is the
least preferred treatment option when it comes to gestational diabetes. This is because
medicines can cause irreversible damage to the fetus. An appropriate and effective
alternative is to have a gestational diabetes diet.

Gestational diabetes diet is a complete balanced diet plan developed by nutritionists and
dieticians so as to ensure that both the mother and the fetus are never deprived of
essential nutrients during pregnancy and that the sugar levels stay in normal range. Some
key components of this diet chart involve eating foods that are rich in fiber and filled with
complex carbohydrates, avoiding foods with excess sugar and saturated fats, stay away
from excess salt and drink plenty of water.

Other better means of avoiding gestational diabetes symptoms include regular exercise,
maintain healthy lifestyle, avoid any stressful situations, ensure a healthy pregnancy
weight and monitor glucose levels regularly.