Risk Factors : Description Of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Screening

Along with all the worries and complications a woman might face while pregnant, one of the more serious conditions is gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes occurs in 4% of all pregnancies (Seibel, 2009). Many women are not informed about the disease, some may not know that they need to be tested, and others may have heard about it, but want more information on what may cause it and/or how to prevent and treat it. Either way this disease needs to be taken seriously by every pregnant woman or woman planning to get pregnant to protect not only herself but the unborn child.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar properly, or becomes resistant to the effects of insulin, also causing blood sugar to rise. High blood sugar is characteristic of diabetes. People who have diabetes have to take insulin shots or supplements in order to give their body enough insulin to regulate blood sugar. There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar. In Type 2 diabetes, the body is resistant to insulin, and so it allows blood sugar to rise to high levels (Winter 2002). Gestational diabetes is a temporary diabetes that develops in previously non-diabetic pregnant women and causes their blood sugar to rise during their pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes, which is much less common, only occurs during pregnancy and is caused by a resistance to the actions of insulin brought on by the hormones a woman’s body releases during pregnancy (WHO 2011, p. 2). Once diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus you are at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life (Zimmet & Magliano 2011). For this reason it is particularly important to use preventative measures and consistent health checks.

In gestational diabetes, this type of diabetes develops in women only during pregnancy. When a woman is pregnant there are a surge of varied hormones that are produced. These hormones sometimes lead to a pregnant woman developing resistance to the insulin just like the other two types of diabetes. It also comes about because the body cannot use the insulin that is produced, effectively. This usually affects a woman in her second trimester and goes away after the birth of the baby. Developing GD can put a woman at risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in her life or developing GD with every pregnancy that follows. It can also lead to certain health problems in their children like childhood obesity or the risk of developing diabetes in later life.

Gestational diabetes, affecting approximately 3-10% of pregnancies, is diagnosed by hyperglycemia during pregnancy in women without a history of diabetes. The underlying cause of gestational diabetes remains unknown, although the interference of pregnancy hormones, such as human placental lactogen, with susceptible insulin receptors, has been considered. The patients usually have few symptoms, and they are often diagnosed by screening during routine pregnancy check-up. For the mother, glucose intolerance typically disappears after the baby is born. However, gestational diabetes often places the body at risk. Babies born to mothers with poor hyperglycemia control are often at increased risk of series problems including macrosomia, which associates with a high chance of C-section, shoulder dystocia, hypoglycemia after birth, polycythemia as well as multiple chemical disorders.

Gestational diabetes is a disease that affects pregnant women it’s a glucose intolerance that is started or diagnosed during pregnancy. Based on recently announced diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association, it is estimated that gestational diabetes affects 18% of pregnancies. Pregnancy hormones can block insulin therefore causing the glucose levels to increase in a pregnant woman’s blood. Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy (American Diabetes Association). Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to

There are two types of diabetes that occur not due to pregnancy: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1, also known as “insulin dependent” and “juvenile” diabetes occurs because of a genetic hiccup in which the pancreas’ beta cells can’t properly create and distribute insulin, causing the individual to have to take injections. The second type of diabetes, Type 2, occurs when the body can’t make enough insulin for adequate function of the body, albeit from age or weight. In this type of diabetes insulin injections are less common (although can still be prescribed depending), which is why the main focus and recommendations will be based on Type 1 diabetic mothers.

This is a condition where the mother develops diabetes (mainly seen as high blood sugar) during pregnancy.She may not have been diabetic before pregnancy and the condition usually abates during pregnancy. According to the Center for disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gestational diabetes affects up to 1 out of 10 pregnant women in the US. In a recent review, up to 13.9% of Pregnant Nigerian women in Urban places were found to have diabetes. Most of them had risk factors which accounted for the high prevalence.

Offer lifestyle advice and check a FBG at 6-13 weeks after birth in those women with GDM. Do not routinely offer an oral glucose tolerance test

Women over the age of 35, women with a history of spontaneous abortions, cigarette smoking, ETOH use, recreational drug use, high doses of caffeine, uncontrolled maternal diabetes mellitus (DM), uncontrolled maternal hypertension (HTN)

Gestational diabetes may lead to problems for the baby after birth; they could suffer with

Women with EDS hypermobility are at an increased risk of complications seen in menstruation and pregnancy. Some manifestations associated with this condition are painful and irregular menstruation, uterine and or rectal prolapse and vessel rupture during pregnancy and delivery. Due to these issues infants are at an elevated risk of premature birth. Infants also are seen

Macrosomia can also result in a serious complication known as shoulder dystocia. Shoulder dystocia is a case of obstructed labor where the infant cannot pass through the vagina at the shoulder. Should dystocia is a serious condition and if unresolved can result in fetal injury and rarely, death (Ladewig et al., 2014). Evidence is arising supporting exercise and its relationship with macrosomia. One particular study found a 58% decrease in the odds of having a baby with macrosomia, after undergoing exercise intervention. This particular exercise intervention consisted of moderate intensity resistance and aerobic exercises three times a week (Barakat et al., 2013). When the life and health of the baby is it risk it is crucial that mothers do all that they can to reduce the risk of any harm on the baby.

The International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology recently published an article on December 15, 2016 entitled “Maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnancies in women with Addison’s disease: a population-based cohort study on 7.7 million births.” It was made clear in the article that Addison’s disease is rare and life threatening, however the objective of the research question was to assess if there was an association between Addison’s disease in pregnancy and if neonates and/or mothers were adversely affected in antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum (Schneiderman et al., 2016). Their purpose for conducting this study was to prevent and minimize adverse effects in the future with the knowledge of the results of this nine year study.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus is a type of diabetes that was first discovered during pregnancy. According to Canadian Diabetes Association (2015), three to twenty percent of women develop Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). GDM is a result of increased insulin resistance or glucose intolerance. Incidence of GDM varies by age, body weight, and ethnicity. Canadian Diabetes Association (2015) mentioned that individuals who are at greater risk include women over 35 years of age, women who are obese, women with low physical activity, and women of Native, Aboriginal, Hispanic, South Asian, Asian and African heritage (Risk factors for gestational diabetes, para. 1). Infants of women with unmanaged gestational diabetes who fall under same risk group face problems like being fat at birth, blood glucose control problems after delivery and carry increased risk for diabetes later in life (What does gestational diabetes mean for my baby, para. 1).