Healthy Living examines gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes manifests itself during first pregnancies.  It is a condition that is on the increase among pregnant women between the ages of thirty and thirty-five.  Contributing factors are the local diet which is high in carbohydrates and the lack of exercise.  Healthy Living this week examines this growing health problem.

Marleni Cuellar, Reporting

The changes in a woman’s body during pregnancy are numerous. The growth of a new a life within prompts the mother’s body to undergo hormonal changes that affect many of her daily functions. One common change is a degree of glucose(sugar) intolerance. This type of intolerance is known as gestational diabetes.

Dr. Mauricio Navarette, Gynecologist/Obstetrician

“Gestational diabetes is basically a diagnosis whereby glucose intolerance or diabetes is diagnosed for the first time or at least diagnosed for the first time during a pregnancy. Pregnancy itself is a diabetogenic state which means that basically there are certain stages that a woman has to go through during her pregnancy that make her somehow prone to glucose intolerance.  The fact is many of the changes that would be brought about by gestational diabetes are also found in pregnancy for example increase appetite, tiredness somnolence, these are all normal changes of pregnancy they would be considered changes in diabetes in a non pregnant patient but because there is an overall in patients there is no way to tell who is or isn’t just by symptoms alone.”

mauricio navarette

Although difficult to detect by symptoms alone,  the diagnosis and test for High blood sugar is easy and routinely conducted around 25th to 28^th week of pregnancy.  It may be conducted sooner or even repeated after negative results at a later point in the pregnancy especially if the mother exhibits the risk factors.

Dr. Mauricio Navarette

“There are certain risk factors that you look at: age for example, it is said that women over 30 over 35 specifically have a greater risk of gestational diabetes however many women even younger will show gestational diabetes. Women who have history, who’ve had large babies or have had babies that may have died before birth: still births are people considered at high risk of gestational diabetes as well. Women who go into pregnancy overweight or obese also have a higher risk of gestational diabetes.”

According to Navarette, over the years more women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The concern is for the complications that can occur from the increased glucose level. The more serious effects would be on the fetus or newborn.

Dr. Mauricio Navarette

“Unfortunatly we’re seeing it quite often and I think more so as time goes by. A lot has to do with our diet, unfortunately diets in Belize are very high in carbohydrates. Women don’t have much of an exercise lifestyle so we’re seeing it quite often.  Women who have gestational diabetes tend to have larger babies. So because there is an excess of insulin circulating in their bodies and it can’t metabolize the sugars that they have in their body appropriately. So all these sugars and the insulin go towards the baby Now insulin have a bit of characteristic so if larger amounts of insulin go to the baby then the baby will grow larger, generally you see infants of diabetic mothers being over eight nine or ten pounds which may be a problem in labor because it may cause an obstructed labor in itself or birth injuries in itself. These babies also have a slower pulmonary maturity itself. So babies that are born of diabetic mothers before thirty-eight weeks have a higher risk of having respiratory distress syndrome.”

As for the women, the large size of the babies put them at higher risk for abnormal labor and they become more likely to develop diabetes after the pregnancy. The treatment for gestational diabetes is similar to regular diabetes, monitoring blood sugar levels, improving diet and exercise are initial treatments. In some cases taking insulin is also necessary.

Dr. Mauricio Navarette

“It is very important that women ask their providers about universal testing for diabetes. The test is available everywhere. It’s an easy test to take and all women irrespective of the shape, body, habitus, and even their history should be taking a diabetes test during pregnancy.”