Periodical screening for gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes occurs only during pregnancy in women who have never been diagnosed with diabetes before. Gestational diabetes usually appears in the three months between pregnancy and can affect the health of both the mother and the fetus. Therefore, doctors usually periodically screen for gestational diabetes between weeks 24 and 28.

1. Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a condition in which the blood sugar level of the maternity increases during pregnancy. The disease occurs in about 10% of pregnant women in the United States each year.

For most women, gestational diabetes does not cause any noticeable signs or symptoms that cause the maternity to go to the doctor. Therefore, women should have regular medical examinations according to the instructions for pregnant mothers for doctors to assess the risk and screen for gestational diabetes. However, in some women there may be symptoms such as:

  • Thirsty more than usual
  • Get hungry faster and eat more than usual
  • Urinate more than usual

There are two types of gestational diabetes:

  • Type A1 is treated through diet and exercise.
  • Type A2 maternity is treated with insulin or other drugs.

Eat sweet

Pregnant mother hungry faster than usual

2. Causes of gestational diabetes

When eaten, the pancreas releases insulin, which is a hormone that helps to get glucose from the bloodstream into the cells and from there the cell will use sugar to generate energy.

During pregnancy, the placenta of the maternity produces hormones that cause glucose to accumulate and increase in the blood. Normally, the pancreas can produce enough insulin to handle the increased amount of glucose in the blood, but if the mother's body cannot produce enough insulin or does not use insulin as usual, the blood sugar will increase and the maternity will have gestational diabetes.

3. Factors that increase the risk of gestational diabetes

Any woman may have gestational diabetes, but some women with the following factors are at higher risk, including:

  • Greater than 25. Women over the age of 25 are more likely to have gestational diabetes.
  • Family or personal health history. The risk of gestational diabetes increases if, prior to pregnancy, there were symptoms of pre-diabetes or close family members, such as parents or siblings, someone who had type 2 diabetes. Women are also more likely to have gestational diabetes if at the previous second pregnancy there was also gestational diabetes or a fetus weighing more than 4.1 kg or if the pregnancy died of unknown causes.
  • obesity. Women are more likely to have gestational diabetes if their body mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher.
  • race. Black, Hispanic, Indian or Asian-American women have a higher risk of gestational diabetes than white women.

Obese women

Obesity increases risk of gestational diabetes

4. How to screen for gestational diabetes

When to screen

Depending on maternity risk factors for gestational diabetes, your doctor may evaluate when:

  • First pregnancy check-up: If the maternity has factors that increase the risk of gestational diabetes such as body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy >= 30 or having a mother, father, sibling or child who already has diabetes.
  • Weeks 24 to 28: If the woman is at average risk of gestational diabetes.

Periodical screening for gestational diabetes

Initial glucose test. The maternity will drink a solution containing glucose. An hour later, the doctor will take blood and test for blood glucose levels. Maternity results are normal if blood glucose levels are below 130 to 140 milligrams per decilite (mg/dL), or 7.2 to 7.8 milligrams per liter (mmol/L), although these indicators may vary by clinic or laboratory.

What does a pregnancy glucose test mean for the fetus and mage health?

Pregnancy glucose test

If the blood sugar level of the maternity is higher than the above indicators, it only means that the maternity is at risk of gestational diabetes. The next step, the maternity needs a glucose tolerance test to determine if she is sick.

The next day, the woman will take a solution containing higher glucose levels and blood sugar will be checked every 1 hour and checked 3 times. If at least two of the three results have a higher than normal blood sugar index, the woman will be diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Maternity has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes

The doctor will advise women with gestational diabetes to regularly go for health checks, especially in the last tri tri month. During visits, the doctor will monitor the blood sugar levels of the maternity. In addition, the doctor may also ask the maternity to monitor blood glucose levels daily.

Post-birth blood glucose tests

The doctor will check the blood glucose of the maternity after birth and again after 6 to 12 weeks to ensure that blood glucose levels have returned to normal. If the tests are normal, this woman will need to assess the risk of diabetes at least every three years.

Blood test

Post-childbirth blood sugar test

5. Treatment of gestational diabetes

If a woman has gestational diabetes, she will need treatment as soon as possible to keep herself and her fetus healthy throughout pregnancy and childbirth. Treatments include:

  • Blood glucose test four times or more in a day
  • Checking urine for ketones, this is a chemical that means that mage diabetes is not well controlled
  • Follow a healthy diet
  • Exercise
  • medicine. If diet and exercise are insufficient to control blood glucose, women may need insulin injections to reduce blood sugar levels. Between 10 and 20% of women with gestational diabetes need to use insulin to achieve their blood sugar targets.
  • Closely monitor the fetus. The doctor monitors the growth and development of the fetus with ultrasound and other tests at each pregnancy visit. If there are no signs of labor at the scheduled date of birth, the doctor will be able to stimulate labor because the birth after the expected date of birth will increase the risk of complications for both the maternity and the fetus.

Regular pregnancy check-up at Share99

Maternity management at Share99 helps pregnant mothers feel more secure

Share99 International Health Hub offers a full maternity care program for women from the very beginning of pregnancy from the first months with a full range of pregnancy examinations, 3D ultrasounds, 4D routines and routine tests to ensure the mother is always healthy and the fetus develops comprehensively. Maternity will no longer be alone when entering labor because having a companion helps the process of childbirth always bring peace of mind and happiness.

For direct advice, please click the HOTLINE number or register online HERE. In addition, you can register for remote consultation HERE

Article reference source: diabetes.org, mayoclinic.org

SEE MORE:

  • What does a glucose test during pregnancy mean for the fetus and mage health?
  • When to screen for gestational diabetes with high-risk people
  • Notes when treating gestational diabetes

SEE MORE:

  • Does a blood type test require fasting?
  • Instructions for reading normal urine test results
  • Female infertility examination: What tests need to be done

About: John Smith

b1ffdb54307529964874ff53a5c5de33?s=90&r=gI am the author of Share99.net. I had been working in Vinmec International General Hospital for over 10 years. I dedicate my passion on every post in this site.

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