Blog - Diabetes Information, Symptoms & Diagnoses
What is Gestational Diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy and usually goes away after the baby is born. It happens when the body is unable to produce enough insulin to meet the body’s energy needs during pregnancy. Insulin is a hormone that allows sugar, or glucose, from our food to be absorbed into our cells for fuel. Without insulin, blood sugar levels can get too high, which can cause issues for the parent and the baby.1
There’s no clear reason why gestational diabetes happens, but doctors and researchers suggest that the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy may play a role.2 If you’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, know you can have a healthy pregnancy with proper glucose management.
Why is it important to address gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes causes high blood sugar, or hyperglycaemia, which can negatively impact your health and your baby’s.3 In most cases, blood sugar control throughout pregnancy can reduce the risk of complications.2 Babies whose parent has high glucose levels may experience:
- Growing to a large size that might result in a difficult birth or require a C-section.2
- Early (preterm) birth, which may lead to respiratory distress syndrome.2
- Low blood sugar after being born.2
- Jaundice, or yellowing skin, after birth.4
Experiencing gestational diabetes also increases the risk in both parent and child for developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) later in life.5 People are more likely to live with obesity if their parents had gestational diabetes, so it’s a good idea to maintain the healthy habits you developed during your pregnancy throughout your child’s life.2
Risk Factors and Symptoms of Gestational Diabetes
It’s important to understand that developing gestational diabetes is never your fault. A complex combination of factors influences whether a person will experience diabetes during their pregnancy. Knowing if you may be at risk for developing gestational diabetes empowers you to take proactive steps to care for yourself.
Some risk factors that doctors check to determine whether someone is likely to experience gestational diabetes are:6
- Being over 40 years old.1
- Living with obesity or being overweight—having a body mass index (BMI) above 30 kg/m.2,7
- If one of your previous children weighed more than 4.5 kg at birth.6
- If you’ve had gestational diabetes in the past.6
- Having first-degree relatives like parents or siblings who live with diabetes.
- Having an African-Caribbean, Black African, Chinese, or South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) background.8
- Experiencing prediabetes.2
- Living with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).2
These risk factors can help guide doctors to initiate screening for gestational diabetes because many people do not show any symptoms of gestational diabetes at all.9 Early signs of gestational diabetes are also very similar to other symptoms accompanying pregnancy, such as going to the toilet more often and feeling tired.9,10
The only way to know if you are experiencing gestational diabetes is to get a glucose test from your doctor. Typically, doctors administer an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) between 24 and 28 weeks into the pregnancy.9
The symptoms of gestational diabetes are similar to the symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. A non-exhaustive list of some of the symptoms of gestational diabetes includes:
- Urinating more often than usual, especially at night.9
- Being extremely thirsty and unable to quench it.9
- Feeling much more tired than normal.9
- Having genital itching or thrush.9
- Experiencing blurry vision.9
If you have some of the risk factors for gestational diabetes, be sure to discuss them with your doctor if you’re planning to have a baby or during your first appointments after you become pregnant. Take note of any symptoms you might have and keep an open dialogue about what you’re feeling with your care team as you move through your pregnancy.
How to Manage Gestational Diabetes
You’ll work with your healthcare professionals (HCPs), including your doctor, midwife, and other care team members, such as a diabetes dietitian, to create a diabetes management plan to support you throughout your pregnancy. Lifestyle changes are often the first treatment option HCPs recommend. Glucose-regulating medication and insulin are offered if individuals need more support with glucose regulation.6,11 Here are just a few things that you can do to take care of yourself while managing gestational diabetes:
1. Maintain a healthy diet.
2. Keep moving in rewarding ways.
3. Monitor your glucose levels.
Experiencing gestational diabetes requires you to adopt new habits like glucose monitoring very quickly. Learning more about how to monitor your glucose levels throughout your pregnancy can help you stay on track with your glucose management goals.
References:
* Finger pricks required for diabetes treatment decisions if symptoms or expectations do not match readings.
† Display devices sold separately. For a list of compatible smart devices, please visit www.dexcom.com/compatibility.
1 Overview: Gestational diabetes. National Health Service. Updated December 8, 2022. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gestational-diabetes/
2 Gestational Diabetes. Mayo Clinic. Updated April 09, 2022. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gestational-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20355339
3 Hapo Study Cooperative Research Group, et al. N Engl J Med. 2008;358(19):1991-2002. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. Diabetes Care. 2022;45(Supp 1):S232–S243.
4 Complications of gestational diabetes. Diabetes UK. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/gestational-diabetes/complications
5 Feig DS. Diabetes Care. 2022;45(11):2484-2491.
6 Diabetes in pregnancy: management from preconception to the postnatal period: Recommendations. NICE guideline [NG3]. Updated December 16, 2020.
7 How to reduce your risk of gestational diabetes. Diabetes UK. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/gestational-diabetes/reduce-your-risk
8 Diabetes Risk Factors. Diabetes UK. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/preventing-type-2-diabetes/diabetes-risk-factors
9 Gestational diabetes symptoms. Diabetes UK. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/gestational-diabetes/symptoms
10 Common health problems in pregnancy. National Health Service. Updated March 8, 2021. https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/related-conditions/common-symptoms/common-health-problems/
11 Treatments for gestational diabetes. Diabetes UK. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/gestational-diabetes/treatments
12 Eat Good to Feel Good. American Diabetes Association. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://diabetes.org/healthy-living/recipes-nutrition/eating-well
13 Gestational Diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. December 30, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/gestational.html
* Finger pricks required for diabetes treatment decisions if symptoms or expectations do not match readings.
† Display devices sold separately. For a list of compatible smart devices, please visit www.dexcom.com/compatibility.
1 Overview: Gestational diabetes. National Health Service. Updated December 8, 2022. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gestational-diabetes/
2 Gestational Diabetes. Mayo Clinic. Updated April 09, 2022. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gestational-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20355339
3 Hapo Study Cooperative Research Group, et al. N Engl J Med. 2008;358(19):1991-2002. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. Diabetes Care. 2022;45(Supp 1):S232–S243.
4 Complications of gestational diabetes. Diabetes UK. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/gestational-diabetes/complications
5 Feig DS. Diabetes Care. 2022;45(11):2484-2491.
6 Diabetes in pregnancy: management from preconception to the postnatal period: Recommendations. NICE guideline [NG3]. Updated December 16, 2020.
7 How to reduce your risk of gestational diabetes. Diabetes UK. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/gestational-diabetes/reduce-your-risk
8 Diabetes Risk Factors. Diabetes UK. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/preventing-type-2-diabetes/diabetes-risk-factors
9 Gestational diabetes symptoms. Diabetes UK. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/gestational-diabetes/symptoms
10 Common health problems in pregnancy. National Health Service. Updated March 8, 2021. https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/related-conditions/common-symptoms/common-health-problems/
11 Treatments for gestational diabetes. Diabetes UK. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/gestational-diabetes/treatments
12 Eat Good to Feel Good. American Diabetes Association. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://diabetes.org/healthy-living/recipes-nutrition/eating-well
13 Gestational Diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. December 30, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/gestational.html
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