Gestational Diabetes: Understanding Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

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Added on  2020/03/16

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This report provides a comprehensive overview of gestational diabetes, a condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels during pregnancy. It delves into the potential causes, including hormonal changes and decreased insulin sensitivity, and discusses the various symptoms that may arise. The report also highlights the importance of early detection, typically around the 20th week of gestation, and the subsequent treatment strategies implemented to manage the condition. These strategies include close monitoring of the pregnancy due to the associated risks, and the impact of gestational diabetes on both the mother and the developing fetus, emphasizing the need for effective glucose control to mitigate adverse outcomes. The report also details the role of hormones like progestin and estrogen and their impact on blood glucose levels during pregnancy. Furthermore, it touches upon the increased maternal insulin secretion needed to compensate for decreased insulin sensitivity, and the consequences when this compensation is insufficient, leading to gestational diabetes.
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Running head: GESTATIONAL DIABETES
Gestational diabetes
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GESTATIONAL DIABETES
Gestational Diabetes is defined as “a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy”
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, 2017). During pregnancy, a
person’s blood glucose (blood sugar) is higher than usual and in return can have a massive effect
on the health of the pregnant mother and baby. There is no specific cause for why gestational
diabetes occurs, however; there are speculations it may be related to the hormonal changes
during pregnancy which can affect the body’s glucose process (Mayo Clinic, 2017). Signs and
symptoms can go unnoticed due to the absence of a clear indication of them during the
pregnancy or can be mistaken for pregnancy signs and symptom; hence the risk factor for
gestational diabetes is significantly higher in case of women. Pregnant women are notified if
they have gestational diabetes within the last 2nd-3rd trimester. The testing usually takes place
around 20 weeks of gestation, with the positive result showing up around the 24th week. If
gestational diabetes is positive, the physician will begin treatment immediately, and the
pregnancy will be considered a high-risk pregnancy which requires closer monitoring than an
average healthy pregnancy.
Hormonal changes take place when a woman is pregnant. Besides pregnancy related
hormones, there is an increase with usual female hormones such as progestin and estrogen. These
changes help to lower the blood glucose level, slow down gastric emptying, and increase
appetite. As the pregnancy progresses, the postprandial glucose levels will continue to increase
while the insulin sensitivity will continue to decrease. To control glucose, the maternal insulin
secretion must increase dramatically to counteract the fall of the insulin sensitivity. Gestational
diabetes occurs when there is insufficient insulin secretion to counteract the pregnancy related
decrease in insulin sensitivity (Medscape, 2017).
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