What you Need to Know About Gestational Diabetes

by Heather J. Mills

One in 20 previously non-diabetic women will develop gestational diabetes during her pregnancy. Since this condition arises in the 28th week of pregnancy, babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are not at a risk for birth defects. However, there are health risks for both baby and mother if this condition is not brought under control.

What is it / when does it develop?

During pregnancy, the placenta produces hormones that make it difficult for a woman's body to produce insulin. (Insulin is needed in the body to convert sugar (glucose) into energy for cells.) This causes insulin resistance, and a pregnant woman may need up to three times the amount of insulin her body is producing.

Because there is not enough insulin to convert glucose to energy, glucose builds up in the blood. Insulin cannot cross the placenta - but glucose can. When all the glucose that is building up in the mother's bloodstream enters the baby's blood, the baby's pancreas starts over-producing insulin to get rid of it. The baby's body is forced to store all this glucose-fuelled energy as fat - resulting in a larger, heavier baby.

Who is at risk?

Women from certain ethnic groups (Aboriginal, Hispanic, African, Asian and South Asian descent) are at a particular risk for developing this condition. Being overweight, over the age of 35, and having a history of gestational diabetes are also risk factors.

How is it diagnosed?

There are no obvious symptoms of gestational diabetes, so it is standard to be tested for this around the 24th-28th weeks of the pregnancy as a precaution. This test is called the glucose tolerance test.