Gestational diabetes
hideGestational diabetes (or gestational diabetes mellitus, GDM) is a condition in which women without previously diagnosed diabetes exhibit high blood glucose levels during pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes generally has few symptoms and it is most commonly diagnosed by screening during pregnancy. Diagnostic tests detect inappropriately high levels of glucose in blood samples. Gestational diabetes affects 3-10% of pregnancies, depending on the population studied. No specific cause has been identified, but it is believed that the hormones produced during pregnancy increase a woman's resistance to insulin, resulting in impaired glucose tolerance.
Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are at increased risk of problems typically such as being large for gestastional age (which may lead to delivery complications), low blood sugar, and jaundice. Gestational diabetes is a treatable condition and women who have adequate control of glucose levels can effectively decrease these risks.
Women with gestational diabetes are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus after pregnancy, while their offspring are prone to developing childhood obesity, with type 2 diabetes later in life. Most patients are treated only with diet modification and moderate exercise but some take anti-diabetic drugs, including insulin.
For more information about Gestational diabetes, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with gestational diabetes
Good news on multiple sclerosis and pregnancy
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 18, 2009 |
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There is good news for women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant. A new study shows that pregnant women with multiple sclerosis are only slightly more likely to have cesarean ...
Treating even mild gestational diabetes reduces birth complications (w/ Video)
Sep 30, 2009 |
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Treating pregnant women for mild gestational diabetes resulted in fewer cesarean sections and other serious birthing problems associated with larger than average babies, according to a study conducted in part at the University ...
Supplement Could Reduce Risk of Gestational Diabetes in Pregnant Women
Jun 18, 2009 |
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Women who enter pregnancy with a higher body weight face serious risks: higher rates of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and the risk of a larger baby who could go on to have obesity, diabetes and heart disease in ...
Snoring pregnant women at higher risk for gestational diabetes
Jun 11, 2009 |
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If you are pregnant and your mate complains your frequent snoring is rattling the bedroom windows, you may have bigger problems than an annoyed, sleep-deprived partner.
Baby at the buzzer: Older couples race against their biological clocks to start families
Apr 10, 2009 |
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Kim Harper started a career before starting a family. After graduating from Michigan State University in 1990, she traveled, earned a law degree and began working as an attorney. When Harper married in 2006, she and her husband, ...
Study finds new evidence of periodontal disease leading to gestational diabetes
Apr 04, 2009 |
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A new study by NYU dental researchers has uncovered evidence that pregnant women with periodontal (gum) disease face an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes even if they don't smoke or drink, ...
Pregnancy diabetes doubles the risk of language delay in children
Nov 06, 2008 |
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Children born to mothers with pregnancy-related diabetes run twice the risk of language development problems, according to a research team directed by Professor Ginette Dionne of Université Laval's School of Psychology. Details ...
Gaining too much weight during pregnancy nearly doubles risk of having a heavy baby
Oct 31, 2008 |
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A study by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research of more than 40,000 women and their babies found that women who gained more than 40 pounds during their pregnancies were nearly twice as likely to have a heavy baby. ...
