Usually there are no symptoms, or the symptoms are mild and not life threatening to the pregnant woman. Often, the blood glucose level returns to normal after delivery.
Rarely, the fetus dies in the womb late in the pregnancy.
Signs and tests
Gestational diabetes is usually diagnosed during the 24th - 28th weeks of pregnancy. All pregnant women should receive an oral glucose tolerance test during this time period to screen for the condition.
Treatment
The goals of treatment are to keep blood glucose levels within normal limits during the pregnancy, and to make sure that the fetus is healthy.
Your health care provider should closely check both you and your fetus throughout the pregnancy. You also can self-monitor your blood glucose levels. Fetal monitoring to check the size and health of the fetus may include ultrasound and nonstress tests.
A nonstress test is a very simple, painless test for you and your baby. A machine that hears and displays your baby's heartbeat (electronic fetal monitor) is placed on your abdomen. When the baby moves, its heart rate normally increases 15 - 20 beats above its regular rate.
Your health care provider can look at the pattern of your baby's heartbeat compared to its movements and find out whether the baby is doing well.
Glucose tolerance test (3 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
The glucose tolerance test is a laboratory method to check how the body breaks down (metabolizes) blood sugar. Reviewer: Robert Hurd, MD, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 08/11/2006
Glucose test (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
A glucose test measures the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Reviewer: Robert Hurd, MD, Professor of Endocrinology, Department of Biology, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 02/08/2007
Diabetes diet
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(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Specific diabetic dietary guidelines have been developed by the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association to improve the management of diabetes. Key principles are to: Achieve weight control through reducing calories; Reduce intake of dietary fat (specifically saturated fat; Individualize guidelines for carbohydrates based on the type of diabetes you have and the control of your blood sugar levels. Reviewer: Cynthia Dennison Haines, MD, family physician specializing in nutrition, fitness, and preventive health, St. John's Mercy Medical Center, St. Louis, MO, and Assistant Clinical Professor, St. Louis University's School of Medicine, Department of Community and Family Medicine.Date: 08/06/2007
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