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.
Symptoms may include:
Blurred vision
Fatigue
Frequent infections, including those of the bladder, vagina, and skin
Increased thirst
Increased urination
Nausea and vomiting
Weight loss in spite of increased appetite
However, high blood sugar levels in the mother can cause problems in the baby. These problems can include:
Birth injury (trauma) because of the baby's large size
Rarely, the unborn baby dies in the womb late in the pregnancy. Mothers with gestational diabetes have an increased risk for high blood pressure during pregnancy and delivery by c-section.
Signs and tests
Gestational diabetes may not cause symptoms. All pregnant women should receive an oral glucose tolerance test between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy 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. Fetal monitoring to check the size and health of the fetus often includes 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.The most common glucose tolerance test is the oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT). You cannot eat or drink anything after midnight before th...Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 05/02/2009
Glucose test - blood (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
A blood glucose test measures the amount of sugar(glucose) in a sample of your blood.Random blood sugar; Blood sugar level; Fasting blood sugar.Blood is typically drawn from a vein, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The...Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 05/12/2009
Diabetes diet (1 image)
Average Rating:
(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.Reviewer: Patrika Tsai, MD, MPH, Assistant Clinical Professor, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 06/23/2008
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