Be alert with gestational diabetes

Maybe they can be viewed as two completely different situations, but they are indeed related. Gestational diabetes is diabetes which appears for the first time when a woman is pregnant. Although it disappears once the baby is born, it is considered a risk as it increases the chances of having diabetes again later on.

Diabetes per se, is a disease in which glucose levels (sugar) in the blood are very high. A type of diabetes is gestational diabetes. This disease usually doesn’t show symptoms or cause discomfort. For that reason, in order to detect it, every pregnant woman must take a test to analyze blood sugar levels (glucose) during pregnancy as part of their prenatal control.

Also, there is indeed a higher risk in children of mothers with gestational diabetes in developing diabetes mellitus as time goes on. This type of diabetes is the type found in adults or diabetes that is not insulin dependent.

When this type of diabetes is diagnosed, treatment must be guided by a gynecologist/OB, endocrinologist, neonatal pediatrician and a nurse that can teach the woman how to take care of her diabetes.

A pregnant woman with this blood condition can give birth normally. Nonetheless, sometimes birth can happen a few days earlier than expected, depending on obstetric control and fetal assessment. Usually, pregnancy ends with a vaginal birth.

“Gestational diabetes is one of the most frequent complications in pregnancy nowadays. It usually developed by 10% of pregnant women and diabetes continues after pregnancy in 5% of them. This generally occurs in women 35 years of age or older, mothers with intolerance to carbohydrates or when they previously given birth to big babies”, states gynecologist Emilio Araya.

It is also important to remember that women who suffered from gestational diabetes during a pregnancy are more likely to suffer it again in following pregnancies. To prevent diabetes in the future, it is very important to control weight gain and obesity if present, through a healthy diet and physical exercise.

During the month of August, Hospital Clínica Bíblica is offering a 20% discount in maternity packages for baby and mother. You can use your debit and credit card.

For more information, please call 2522-1000 in Hospital Clínica Bíblica.