Gestational Diabetes
By editor | July 19, 2007
Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy and may revert back to impaired glucose tolerance or previous abnormality of glucose tolerance after the pregnancy is over. It is possible that this individual will progress to diabetes of either Type 1 or most commonly Type 2. Further testing is needed if the fasting blood, sugar level is above 105 mg/dl (5.8 or 6 mmol), or if a two,hour postmeal (postprandial) blood,sugar level is greater than 150 mg/dl (8 mmol).
The present recommendation is that not only should high,risk pregnant females be screened but also all pregnant females should be screened by the 24th to the 28th week of gestation. Statistics show that prepregnancy control of blood, sugar (glucose) levels among pregnant diabetic women leads to mother and infant outcomes that are nearly the same as for nondiabetic pregnant women. If control is achieved only by the time of the second trimester, there is a 14 percent chance that the infant will die or develop complications, such as heart, head, or spinal malformations. The mother will have more problems with toxemia and eclampsia. The second trimester is the time in which the stresses of pregnancy begin to show, and these effects elevate the blood sugar levels. Treatment should begin promptly and continue from early in the pregnancy to the end.
Tagged under:blood sugar level Diabetes diabetic women fasting blood sugar fasting blood sugar level gestational diabetes glucose levels impaired glucose tolerance sugar glucose toxemia
Topics: Diabetes |
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.