This article was written by Dr. Karen Benton, an OBGYN and nutritionist who specializes in pregnancy and weight loss.

You may be wondering what is GDM? Essentially, GDM is a type of diabetes that develops temporarily during pregnancy. It affects approximately one in twenty pregnant women. Although no one is certain what causes GDM, a popular suggestion is that the placenta releases insulin blocking hormones during the second and third trimesters to ensure that the growing baby gets enough glucose. As a result pregnant women’s blood sugar levels rise and they have to produce additional insulin to break it down into energy. Those who cannot produce enough extra insulin develop GDM.

Your doctor should test you for GDM during your pregnancy. Usually, you will be tested between the twenty fourth and twenty eighth week via an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). This test involves consuming a glucose orally and then being tested at regular intervals to see how your body breaks it down.

The symptoms of GDM are often difficult to notice. However, if you are constantly hungry or thirsty, urinating more frequently or feel tired a lot of the time you could have GDM. Whilst GDM is not an immediate risk to your health, it can become one if not managed properly. Some of the health risks linked to poorly managed GDM include; premature labour, macrosomia (giving birth to a baby with a large birth weight) and an increased chance of developing type 2 diabetes in later life.

Your doctor can help you manage your GDM, usually by making some small lifestyle improvements. First, you will be advised to eat healthily. Try and eat a good mix of complex carbohydrates, proteins and unsaturated fats and also try to eat smaller meals more regularly. Secondly, you will be advised to do at least half an hour of exercise per day. If these changes do not help lower your blood sugar levels then your doctor may prescribe insulin to help you control your GDM.

As a pregnant woman being diagnosed with GDM is not going to be a pleasant experience. However, your doctor will be on hand to help you with your GDM every step of the way. Try to remember it is a temporary condition that in most cases lasts for no longer than twelve weeks and can be managed by making a few small changes to your daily routine. If you follow that mindset your GDM will be gone before you know it.

Whilst every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative it is intended for general information only. Diabetes is a medical condition and this article is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your doctor or a qualified medical practitioner. If you have any concerns regarding GDM or diabetes you should seek the advice of your doctor immediately.

Tom Parker owns and operates a number of useful fitness resources and websites. The Free Fitness Tips Blog provides you with fantastic, free advice on all aspects of fitness. For more detailed information on gestational diabetes please visit the free Fitness Tips blog

These nippy sets firmly instilled on some diet menu plans do not utilize the right basic law and the exact attitude in losing weight.

These diet menu plans of fast weight loss are famous as fashion diets.

In time, while a style arrives at its end, and popularity wanes down, people will realize that the significant subject, that this diet menu fashion they counted on is not trustworthy at all. The fad diet menus are being sold in large quantities.

There are two signs that would tell you to be careful and not to try it even once. Being aware of more about these trends diet menu plans, which are being sold in large quantities, you have to pay attention to two telltale signs that would tell you not to try it even once.

You need to make sure, if your menus insist on you to skip meals.

If it does, then, it is a fad diet menu. Abstain from food completely is not a healthy custom. It may even bring about some critical complications or problems above all for people who are diabetes. Skipping meals will only cause a hypoglycemia, or the condition wherein your blood sugar is low, and will be apparently only being effective in making you eat twice as much at the next meal.

You need to make sure, if your diet menu allows you dieting with no training, or vice versa
Exercise is crucial to the human body. It is important in the suitable blood circulation and other activities of the human body system. Moreover, diet menu that does not require you to exercise are nuisances. People are born to be in motion. However, then again, training alone is not sufficient. Hence, it would be better if the diet menu and training will go hand-in-hand.

Remembering my efforts of trying to understand and get as many details as possible to find an answer for my doubts directed me into writing and sharing all I know about diabetes gestational.
Three years ago, during my pregnancy, I came to know that I had diabetes gestational. Anyway, there are few subtle symptoms, which I did not particularly notice that help to diagnose gestational diabetes in its early stage.
The site of Gestational Diabetes Info Center, give clear information about the causes and risks of Gestational Diabetes. The information is written in simple language, easy to read and leads the reader step by step to acquire knowledge of prevention, note the symptoms and know which questions to ask your physician.

Most women who have gestational diabetes give birth to healthy babies, especially when they control their blood sugar, eat a healthy diet, exercise, and keep a healthy weight.

Diagnosis

A glucose screening test is usually performed between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, which involves drinking a glucose drink followed by measurement of glucose levels after a one-hour interval.
If this test shows an increased blood sugar level, another test will be performed after a few days of following a special diet. The second test also involves drinking a glucose drink, and results are measured at three-hour intervals.

Causes

As the pregnancy progresses, the mothers energy needs increase. Coupled with this, the placenta produces hormones that help the baby grow and develop. These hormones also block the action of the mothers insulin. This is called insulin resistance. The pregnant woman needs extra insulin so the glucose can get from the blood into the cells where it is used for energy. From about 24 weeks, insulin needs in pregnancy can be two or three times higher than normally required. If the body is unable to meet this requirement, then diabetes develops. When the pregnancy is over and the insulin needs return to normal, the diabetes usually disappears.

Symptoms

Generally, gestational diabetes does not cause any symptoms. Subtle signs, such as fatigue or excessive thirst and urination, may sometimes occur, but many women without gestational diabetes also experience these changes late in pregnancy. Because the condition cannot be diagnosed on the basis of the mothers symptoms, glucose testing must be done to detect it.

Cure and Treatment

The cure for gestational diabetes is the cessation of those hormones that block it. This only happens when the patient gives birth, which may be several weeks from the time it was detected. Women who are predisposed should be checked early for their levels of glucose, lest they be affected by gestational diabetes. If you are diagnosed to have gestational diabetes, you are advised to lower down your blood glucose levels by eating a healthy diet. This means that the carbohydrates that you eat should be limited to be able to maintain normal blood glucose levels. Exercise is also suggested as part of the daily routine to lower blood sugar although it is not recommended in high risk pregnancies. The glucose levels in the blood should be monitored at least three times a day, after every meal. For those taking insulin, they also have to test themselves before meals to be able to keep blood glucose levels normal.

A cure for Diabetes has not been found yet. However, it can be controlled. Ways to control diabetes are: maintaining blood glucose levels, blood fat levels and weight. Controlling diabetes is very important and should be supervised by a medical doctor. When diabetes is controlled, it will help prevent serious complications such as: infections, kidney damage, eye damage, nerve damage to feet and heart disease.

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To eliminate the possibility that a woman has gestational diabetes, her physician will perform one of two tests. Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (One Step): after a pregnant woman has not eaten anything for a period of four to eight hours, her blood glucose level is tested. Then she will drink a concoction that is extremely high in sugar content and be tested again in approximately two hours. Two Step: this test requires the pregnant woman to drink the above mentioned concoction first, without the fasting period. Then after one hour, her blood glucose level is taken. A non-diabetic woman will have a normal reading at this time. A woman who has a high level of blood glucose will be re-tested by means of the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test to be certain that she has gestational diabetes.

It is not known for sure why gestational diabetes occurs. However, theories suggest that the developing baby produces hormones that block the mother’s ability to create enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal. Due to the changes that her body is undergoing, she may need up to three times as much insulin as normal to eliminate the excess sugar in her blood stream. The excess of sugar in the blood can be directed to the fetus, through the placenta, causing a condition called Macrosomia or simply put, “fat baby”.

Some other risks involved to both the mother and the baby are: A macrosomic infant may need to be delivered via caesarian section to avoid injury. The newborn may suffer from low blood sugar. The newborn may suffer jaundice. The infant’s blood may have low mineral levels. The infant may have breathing distress upon delivery. The children are at higher risk of being obese. The risk of developing Type 2 diabetes is higher for both the child and the mother. The chances for a woman developing gestational diabetes with future pregnancy are increased.

In order to steer clear of risks to both mother and her fetus, gestational diabetes needs to be caught and dealt with promptly. A physician will recommend a nutritious diet and safe exercise plan. Moderating carbohydrate intake and exercise helps to control weight gain. An extreme weight increase leads to complications for the mother in addition to the instant and potential risks to the infant. If Insulin is required to manage blood glucose levels, the physician will explain how to take it. Keeping an eye on the blood glucose level is another way to steer clear of danger.

Generally, gestational diabetes disappears of its own accord. The mother’s capability to produce her own insulin is no longer affected by hormones produced by the placenta. After about six weeks, it is recommended that the mother’ blood glucose levels be tested again. This reduces the possibility that she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, when in fact either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes was making itself known and coincided with pregnancy.

Women who have had gestational diabetes, and their children, can reduce the risk of having Type 2 diabetes later on by making alterations in their eating and exercising habits. Eating right and exercising are essential to losing weight; obesity is the leading cause of Type 2 diabetes.

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The American Association of Diabetes indicates that there are two types of diabetes: Type I and Type II. Children and adolescents are most commonly afflicted with Type I diabetes, while Type II is often indicated in overweight adults. Some types of diabetes are directly related to certain genetic problems.

There is one more type of diabetes that affects only pregnant women. Is it possible for an otherwise healthy woman to develop diabetes during pregnancy? Are women with diabetes required to take extra care during pregnancy? Where is the direct link between diabetes and pregnancy?

These are important questions to ask a healthcare practitioner, as a woman who suffers from diabetes has many particular considerations to take into account before becoming pregnant. A diabetic mother who is carrying a child must appreciate the risks, and needs to treat her pregnancy with a great deal of discipline.

Third Type of Diabetes

Aside from Type I and Type II diabetes, mothers who wish to have a baby must be aware that there is another possibility for acquiring diabetes. This condition, known as gestational diabetes, is developed during the late stages of pregnancy. Although this type of diabetes will disappear after the birth of the child, the mother will face a higher probability of acquiring Type II diabetes later in life.

There is a direct link between pregnancy and diabetes, so expectant mothers must be very careful about this condition. When gestational diabetes occurs, the body resists the assimilation of insulation. This condition is similar to Type II diabetes, although the symptoms are a bit different.

Women who develop gestational diabetes may notice unusually high weight gain. This excess weight is caused by high levels of glucose in the blood and, as a result, an increase in fetal urination. It’s important for expectant mothers to be tested during the 24th to 28th weeks of gestation to ensure that they have not acquired gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes is quite rare, affecting only 2% to 3% of the total population of pregnant women, and there are some factors that can increase the risk of acquiring the condition:

* Age (risk increases in older women)

* Being overweight

* Family history of Type II diabetes

* Ethnic background

* Gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy

* Previous children born weighing nine pounds or more

If you show one or more of these potential risks, speak with your doctor about the possibility of acquiring gestational diabetes.

Statistics show that as many as 40% of the women who suffered from gestational diabetes went on to develop Type II diabetes over a period of 5 to 10 years following pregnancy. If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, be sure to follow your doctor’s instructions carefully in order to avoid contracting Type II diabetes later in life. Although many people lead normal lives with Type II diabetes, it’s best to avoid it.

Gestational diabetes poses certain risks to expectant mothers, but it can be controlled. Speak with your obstetrician or healthcare provider to learn more about the causes, preventions and treatments. It’s the best way to ensure your own wellness, and the health of your baby.

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Routine screening for gestational diabetes is recommended during the second trimester for all pregnant women to help limit the negative impacts it can have on mother and baby. If it is not controlled it can lead to pregnancy-induced hypertension, premature birth, large fetus size, congenital abnormalities, future obesity and diabetes in the infant, and other birth complications.

A gestational diabetes diet requires dietary modifications that the mother may not be used to but to control this form of diabetes it is essential. This is accomplished through individually developed dietary prescriptions based on metabolic nutrition and lifestyle requirements. Basic changes include reduced intake of simple sugars such as white table sugar and syrups.

The simple sugars are replaced with more complex carbohydrates with a balanced intake of nutrients, particularly with the carbohydrates, during the day. To make starting this type of gestational diabetes diet plan easier a registered dietitian will use exchange lists to make their clients meal planning easier.

Exchange lists were first developed for diabetic meal planning but they have become a basic tool for almost all food guides and dietary recommendations.

Another system to control diabetes, carbohydrate counting, has recently begun to see more widespread use. This system allows the client to keep track of carbohydrate intake during the course of the day.

An overall gestational diabetes diet plan takes into account the physical, psychosocial, and educational requirements. For the woman with this form of diabetes reliance on her health care providers to help manage her condition is vitally important. Her registered dietician has the primary responsibility for developing and teaching her the individualized dietary plan that will work best for her. Nurses at her doctor’s office and in the hospital help reinforce these dietary needs and also are responsible for teaching her how to effectively monitor blood glucose levels and administer insulin if needed. By working together the pregnant woman and her health care team can successfully manage and overcome the risks posed by gestational diabetes.

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It is believed that the placenta and how it works during a pregnancy is the main cause for gestational diabetes. The placenta is the life support system for the baby in the uterus. During a pregnancy the placenta produces a multitude of different hormones, many of which negatively affect the effectiveness of the mother insulin. This results in high blood glucose levels because the insulin is unable to move the glucose out of the blood and into the cells. The mother may produce up to three times her normal amount of insulin to effectively deal with the effects of the placental hormones. This is known as insulin resistance.

For some women they will see some of the classic symptoms that all diabetics are familiar with. These include:

Frequent urination – Caused by high blood glucose which increases blood flow to the kidneys.

Excessive thirst – Results from dehydration from the increased urinary output.

Extreme hunger – Because glucose is unable to get into the body’s cells from the lack of insulin the body suffers from an energy deficit, causing hunger.

Unusual weight loss – Despite eating more the body actually loses weight as it breaks down proteins and fats to make up for the perceived energy deficit.

Increased fatigue – Caused by the decrease in energy.

Irritability

Blurry vision – Caused by the increased blood volume that causes a swelling of the lens of the eye.

But the majority of women suffer no overt symptoms of gestational diabetes. Because of this it is vitally important that all women be screened for gestational diabetes towards the end of the second trimester at around 24 to 28 weeks of their pregnancy.

This test is called the oral glucose tolerance test. During the test the pregnant woman will consume a drink containing 50g of glucose. After one hour her blood glucose level is tested and if it is equal to or greater then 130 to 140 mg/dl then further testing is needed.

The next test to determine if a woman has gestational diabetes is the 3 hour, 100g oral glucose tolerance test. This test actually lasts about three days. For the three days before the test the woman eats an unrestricted diet eating at a minimum of 150g of carbohydrates each day. The night before the test she fasts and in the morning drinks a 100g oral glucose solution. Her plasma glucose is tested at four different intervals with blood glucose levels not to exceed the following for two or more of the tests:

Fasting – 95mg/dL
1 hour – 180mg/dL
2 hours – 155 mg/dL
3 hours – 140 mg/dL

If the diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made then the pregnant woman will have to follow a diet and exercise plan created for her individual needs by her medical care givers. For many women the first symptom of gestational diabetes is not passing the oral glucose tolerance test.

For more information about the symptoms of gestational diabetes please visit the web site Diabetic Diet Plans by Clicking Here.