Gestational Diabetes

During pregnancy your body is under extra stress because of the baby growing inside you. As a result, this can sometimes cause the blood glucose level to rise too high, which means you will be diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Most women are diagnosed using a glucose test called Pregnancy Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (POGTT). This test is usually performed between 24 and 28 weeks, but can be earlier if you are at high risk. During the test you will have three blood tests: the first is to test the base level of blood glucose before having any food or drink. You are then given a sugary drink and then another blood test after one hour to see how much your blood glucose levels have risen. The last blood test is done three hours after the consumption of the sugary drink and again this is to test the blood glucose level.

The POGTT is a routine test that all pregnant women do. If your blood glucose level is higher than 10.6 mmol/L) after the one-hour test, you'll be diagnosed with gestational diabetes. For the three-hour test a normal fasting blood glucose level is lower than 5.3 mmol/L so if you have a higher level than this, you will also be diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Most women with gestational diabetes have no symptoms, though a few may experience:

• unusual thirst,

• frequent urination in large amounts (distinguished from the also frequent but usually light urination of early pregnancy),

• fatigue (which may be difficult to differentiate from normal pregnancy fatigue).

If you have gestational diabetes, your baby may be at increased risk of excessive birth weight. Extra glucose in your bloodstream crosses the placenta, which triggers your baby's pancreas to make extra insulin. This can cause your baby to grow too large, which in medical terms is called macrosomia.

As gestational diabetes is first diagnosed during pregnancy there are no tests that can be done before conception to test for gestational diabetes. Most women who develop diabetes during pregnancy go on to have a healthy baby, but untreated gestational diabetes can cause serious problems. If blood sugar levels remain elevated, too much glucose ends up in the baby's blood causing the baby to be too large for a vaginal birth.

While it may be frightening to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes, it doesn’t have to be. If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, contact us for ongoing support during the pregnancy to give your baby the best start to life, and to feel safe and supported throughout this exciting time in your life.