Gestational diabetes affects approximately 7% of all pregnant women; 200,000 cases are diagnosed each year.
Any women might develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy. It is most common in obese women and in those over 30 years old. Some factors associated with women who have an increased risk
*Obesity
*Family history
*Given birth previously to a large infant, or still birth or a child with a birth defect
*Having too much amniotic fluid
Unlike women with Type I diabetes, women with gestational diabetes have plenty of insulin. In fact, they usually have more insulin in their blood than women who are not pregnant.
However, the effect of their insulin is partially blocked by a variety of other hormones made in the placenta, a condition often called insulin resistance.
The complications of gestational diabetes are manageable and preventable. The key to prevention is careful control of blood sugar levels just as soon as the diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made.
Gestational diabetes
