The Prevalence Of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus And Risk

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.

Most pregnancies progress with the mother being healthy, however in some cases problems do arise with the mother developing complications. This can in the form of gestational diabetes. Mothers who didn’t have diabetes prior to pregnancy exhibit high blood sugar levels, in most cases this is during the later stages of pregnancy, this could lead to pre-eclampsia and babies could be born with higher birth weights. If left unchecked mothers can develop type 2 diabetes post pregnancy.

Amanda manages her gestational diabetes with diet. She experiences a few episodes of postprandial hyperglycemia, but does not have to go on insulin. At her 36-week

It is estimated that 387 million people, globally live with diabetes (Phillips & Mehl, 2015). According to Medical News Today [MNT], diabetes is a metabolic disorder; which causes patients to be extremely thirsty and produce a lot of urine. Diabetes arises due to high blood pressure, due to the body not being able to produce enough insulin or because the body does not respond well to high insulin levels (MNT, 2016). There are four types of diabetes; there is the pre-diabetic stage, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. In 2014, 29 million people died due to diabetes. This equates to 1 diabetic patient dying every seven seconds due to preventable complications (including complications affecting lower limbs) caused by diabetes. It is said that 20-40% of health care costs are spent on the treatment of lower limb complications due to diabetes. The risk of a diabetic patient developing a foot ulcer is 25% and foot ulcers account approximately 85% of lower limb amputations. Diabetic complications that affect lower limbs are caused by both type 1 and type 2 diabetes (Phillips & Mehl, 2015). It is said that the World Health Organization described diabetic foot syndrome as including all possible complications in relation to the feet of a diabetic patient. Diabetic foot syndrome is defined as the ulceration of the foot, from the ankle downwards. Causes of foot ulceration include peripheral sensory neuropathy, vascular disease (ischaemia) and infection

As the years go by, society starts to progress and develop many fast and easy solutions for everything. Not only are the easy solutions being created but the cost of living is increasing making people to work harder and later and not have time to have a healthy lifestyle. Fast foods are everywhere you go and not only is it fast it is also cheap making it harder to get a decent healthy meal. Due to society changing so much, diabetes is on the rise. What is diabetes? Diabetes is several diseases that are characterized by high levels of glucose that are the results of the insulin action or production. “The term diabetes mellitus describes a metabolic disorder of multiple aetiology characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both.” (CDC) If diabetes is not taken seriously, it can have severe damages that include organ failures or damages and even death.

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 testo

Type 2 diabetes later in life. If the mothers who have diabetes while in gestational :

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.

This patient would be diagnosed with gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that typically disappears after pregnancy.

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

Gestational Diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy due to elevated glucose levels. Complications of gestational diabetes include macrosomia, preterm labor, and respiratory distress. It can also lead to diabetes later in life for the mother. Normalizing blood sugars is an important way to prevent these complications and maintain a healthy pregnancy (Lowdermilk 2014). In a research study of pregnant women, it examined the outcomes of pregnancies if glucose testing was done continuously vs self-monitoring.

Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or type 2 Diabetes is caused by a defect in insulin manufacture and release from the beta cell or insulin resistance in the peripheral tissues. Approximately ninety percent of diabetic patients have NIDDM. Genetics play a big role in the etiology of NIDDM and is often associated with obesity. Usually presentation is slow and often insidious with symptoms of fatigue, weight gain, poor wound healing, and recurrent infection. Primarily occurs in adults over thirty. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as carbohydrate intolerance, which occurs during pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an intolerance of glucose documented for the first time during pregnancy. It is usually a short-term type of diabetes and the most common health problem with pregnant women. GBM is caused by the way the hormones in pregnancy affect the mother. GDM accounts for 5-7% of all pregnancies (American Diabetes Association, 2010). During pregnancy the placenta develops and becomes the main bond between the mother and the baby. It is used to make sure the baby has and gets enough nutrients. The placenta makes several hormones which make it hard for insulin to control blood glucose and block the action of the mother’s insulin in her body (American Diabetes Association, 2010). Hormonal changes during the

Diabetes is part of my life now more than ever. A man, 52 years old, retired out of the Army, and not as active as before retiring. Family members also has diabetes and some of them are blind and lost limbs because of diabetes. Diabetes actually scares me to death, diabetes kills.

Gestational diabetes is one of the most commonly seen conditions in pregnant women. Hormonal changes make it difficult for a mother to know if she has gestational diabetes. An expectant mother should educate herself on how to obtain a healthy pregnancy. Keeping a balanced diet and exercising will help with this condition and set the mothers mind at ease. Knowing that you are fueling not only your body, but also your growing baby’s body can eliminate most fears of harming the baby. In conclusion, gestational diabetes can be treated and monitored to help mothers maintain their health and their baby’s health.