When a pregnant woman who has had no history of diabetes gets the disease, it is called gestational diabetes. This usually occurs around the twenty-fourth to twenty-eighth week of pregnancy. The United States alone reports 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes each year. With the right medical care, a good diet plan, and monitored weight gain a woman with gestational diabetes can deliver a perfectly healthy baby.

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.

Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit http://www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution for diabetes.