Gestational Diabetes - Treatment Overview

07 Jun

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs in non-diabetic women during pregnancy. Diabetes is a disease in which the pancreas is unable to produce insulin or use the insulin it produces in the proper way. Gestational diabetes affects about 3 to 6 percent of all pregnant women. It usually begins in the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy (weeks 24 and 28) and usually disappears shortly after delivery.Treatment for gestational diabetes:

Treatment for gestational diabetes involves making healthy choices. Most women who make changes in the way that they eat and how often they exercise are able to keep their blood sugar level within a safe range. Controlling your blood sugar is the key to preventing problems during pregnancy or birth.

Blood sugar monitoring. Your health care provider may ask you to check your blood sugar level four to five times a day to make sure you’re keeping your blood sugar within a healthy range. This may sound inconvenient and difficult, but it’ll get easier with practice. To test your blood sugar, you draw a drop of blood from your finger using a small needle (lancet), then place the blood on a test strip inserted into a blood glucose meter — a device that measures and displays your blood sugar level.

Your health care provider will also monitor your blood sugar level during labor. If your blood sugar rises, your baby may release high levels of insulin — which can lead to low blood sugar right after birth.

Specific treatment for gestational diabetes will be determined by your physician based on:

your age, overall health, and medical history
extent of the disease
your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies

Healthy eating plan:
The most important aspect of treatment relates to healthy eating. Women with Gestational Diabetes are encouraged to follow a healthy eating plan:

Varied and enjoyable
Nutritionally appropriate for pregnancy, for example, including calcium, iron and folic acid
Low in fat, particularly saturated fat and high in fiber

New gestational diabetes treatment safe

Gestational diabetes is a complication in about five per cent of pregnancies - and is on the rise.

Where it can’t be controlled through diet and exercise, insulin therapy is often used to improve the health of both baby and mother.

Acute treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis involves fluid repletion, correction of electrolyte disturbances, insulin administration, and very frequent monitoring of glucose and electrolytes (intensive care admission is often necessary for initial stages of treatment)

Long-term management includes regular testing of HbA1C, glucose (home readings), blood pressure, lipid profile, renal function, and regular podiatric and ophthalmology examinations

Treatment for gestational diabetes will focus on bringing your blood glucose levels within the normal range and keeping tight control of them. Most women can achieve good control with diet and exercise, but others may have to take insulin.

Your doctor will probably advise that you see a dietitian or a diabetes educator to help you with your diet. They will be able to advise you about low glycaemic index foods, and ensure that your dietary intake is rich in vitamins and nutrients for your growing baby.

If diet and exercise measures don’t give you good control of your blood glucose, your doctor may advise that you start on insulin. At present, there is limited information on the safety in pregnancy of oral medications used to control blood glucose.

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