What is gestational diabetes and how common is it?
Gestational diabetes is a condition in which the changes of pregnancy bring about an increase in the mother’s insulin resistance, but the mother is unable to produce an adequate increase in insulin production to overcome that resistance. Consequently, the mother develops high blood sugar levels, commonly called gestational diabetes. If am not a diabetic normally, how can I become diabetic when pregnant? The changes of pregnancy sometimes increase a woman’s insulin resistance. In most cases, the condition disappears after the baby is born, but sometimes it persists. In such cases, the mother probably had diabetes prior to pregnancy but it had not been diagnosed. Are there any symptoms to gestational diabetes? How can I be sure I have it? There are usually no symptoms. The diagnosis is made by a glucose tolerance test, in which the mom drinks a container of sugar water after she fasts overnight. Her blood sugar is measured prior to the drink, and each hour after the drink for a total of
