Diabetes mellitus (diabetes) is a disease caused by insulin deficiency and metabolic disorders in the body. Insulin is a hormone. Due to diabetes, insulin is produced in small amounts, and the amount of glucose in the blood increases. Higher than normal blood sugar levels lead to hyperglycemia.
Hyperglycemia can damage blood vessels, nerves, eyes, and kidneys throughout the body, as well as the heart. In pregnant women, hyperglycemia causes babies to be born with congenital defects.
There are 3 types of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune disease: Type 1 diabetes mellitus damages the body's pancreatic cells;
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus: Type 2 diabetes mellitus occurs as a result of the body not producing enough insulin or not using insulin properly. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is not an autoimmune disease;
- Gestational diabetes: a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. It is a condition where blood glucose levels increase and signs of diabetes appear during pregnancy in a woman who has not previously had diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs in 3-9 out of every 100 pregnant women.
What causes diabetes mellitus to occur during pregnancy?
Some women develop diabetes before pregnancy. This type of diabetes is called pregestational diabetes. A certain percentage of women who have not previously had diabetes develop it during pregnancy. This type of diabetes is known as gestational diabetes.
The fetus can change the rate of glucose utilization in the woman's body. In turn, this can negatively affect the fetus or increase the risk of developing gestational diabetes. During pregnancy, the placenta provides the developing fetus with nutrients and oxygen. The placenta also produces hormones.
In the last month of pregnancy, estrogen, cortisol, and human placental lactogen hormones, which help regulate your metabolism, can block insulin. Once insulin is blocked, insulin resistance occurs. As a result, glucose cannot enter the body's cells. The glucose that cannot enter the body's cells remains in the blood and increases blood glucose levels.
Who is more prone to developing diabetes during pregnancy?
The risk of diabetes during pregnancy actually depends on the type of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes is most common in children and young adults, but type 1 diabetes can develop at any age;
- Overweight women are more likely to develop type 2 and gestational diabetes. In women carrying twins or multiple babies, this risk is also significantly higher compared to other women.
How can you identify the symptoms of diabetes during pregnancy?
There are no common symptoms for gestational diabetes. Most women can only determine whether they have the disease by getting tested for diabetes.
How is diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy?
All pregnant women are screened for this condition as a preventive measure between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy. During the screening, you will drink a glucose solution, and your blood glucose level will be checked 2 hours later. If the test shows a high blood glucose level, a 3-hour glucose tolerance test is performed. If the results of the second test are abnormal, a diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made.
Important: How should you lie down during pregnancy?
How is diabetes treated during pregnancy?
Treatment will depend on your age and general health.
Treatment is aimed at maintaining normal blood glucose levels and includes:
- consuming foods and beverages with a low carbohydrate content;
- performing daily exercises;
- continuous monitoring of blood glucose levels;
- medicines to prevent hypoglycemia.
