Although there is no absolute way to prevent gestational diabetes during your next pregnancy, you can decrease your risk. Your racial background can’t be changed, but you can control your blood sugar levels during pregnancy, which can affect your baby’s growth and development. You may be more likely to have a baby with a low birth weight, which can lead to a higher risk of preterm birth and low-birth-weight babies.
- Work to improve your diet and eat healthy foods
- Establish a regular exercise routine
- Consider weight loss
Table of Contents
Does gestational diabetes occur every pregnancy?
Any woman can develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, but you’re at an increased risk if you’ve had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy. If you have diabetes, you may have a higher risk of having a baby with diabetes later in life.
What are the chances of getting gestational diabetes a second time?
Currently, it’s estimated that if gestational diabetes occurred in the first pregnancy, the woman has around a 50% chance of having gestational diabetes in the second, and this risk increases to around 70% in third pregnancies. The risk of developing diabetes increases with the length of the pregnancy and the type of diabetes.
For example, a woman with type 1 diabetes, which is the most common type, has a 1 in 3 chance that she will develop type 2 diabetes during her lifetime. The risk is even higher for women who are overweight or obese, as well as those who smoke or have high blood pressure.
Are babies born early if you have gestational diabetes?
Babies born to mothers who have gestational diabetes are more likely to: be born early (prematurely) grow very small (very small for their age) have a low birth weight have a very low Apgar score (a measure of how well a baby’s lungs are working) and a higher risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancer, such as breast, colorectal, or pancreatic cancer.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant have their blood sugar checked at least once a year. If you have diabetes, talk to your doctor about how often you should be checked.
What is the main cause of gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes occurs when your body can’t make enough insulin during your pregnancy. The key to letting blood sugar into the cells in your body for energy is the hormones made by your pancreas. If you don’t have enough of this hormone, your baby won’t be able to get enough energy from the food you feed him or her.
This can lead to a number of health problems, including: low birth weight premature birth (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) or low-birth-weight (LBW) babies (birth weight less than 37.5 pounds for a full-term baby, or 37 pounds or more for an infant under 1 year old) the risk of pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and/or a history of heart disease) in the mother and her baby The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should have regular blood tests to monitor their blood glucose levels.
These tests can help your doctor know if you’re at risk for diabetes. Your doctor may also ask you to take a glucose tolerance test (GTT) to check your glucose level before and after you eat.
Does stress cause gestational diabetes?
Research has shown that anxiety and depression are important causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the association between maternal depression and the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight (LBW) in a large cohort of pregnant women in the United States. We used data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS), a prospective cohort study that followed women from conception to delivery.
The study was approved by the institutional review board of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants before study participation. Maternal depression was defined as a score of ≥4 on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at any time during pregnancy and at least once during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Preterm delivery and LBW were defined according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) and ICD-10, respectively. In addition, maternal anxiety was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist-Revised (CBCL-R), which has been shown to be a valid and reliable measure of anxiety in children.
Is gestational diabetes considered high risk pregnancy?
Women who develop diabetes during pregnancy, known as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), may need high-risk pregnancy care due to complications that can arise during pregnancy and childbirth.
Women with GDM have an increased risk of preeclampsia, a condition that leads to pregnant women having high blood pressure and high blood sugar, which can lead to serious consequences. Women with diabetes who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should discuss their diabetes with their health care provider.
They should also discuss the risks and benefits of having a baby with or without diabetes.
Does gestational diabetes affect baby later in life?
Babies of mothers who have gestational diabetes have a higher risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life. Gestational diabetes can lead to a baby’s death either before or after birth. Infants born to mothers with diabetes are more likely to be born prematurely and to have low birth weight. They are also at a greater risk for being born with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), which can be life-threatening if not treated.
Untreated Gestational Diabetes Can Result in A Baby’s Death Either Before or Shortly After Birth.Infants Born to Mothers with Diabetes Are More Likely to Be Born Prematurely and To Have Low Birth Weight.They Are Also At A Greater Risk For Being Born With Respiratory Distress Syndrome ( RDS ), Which Can Be Life-Sustaining If Not Treated.
A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that women who had diabetes at the time of their first pregnancy were more than twice as likely as those who did not have diabetes to give birth to a low-birth-weight baby.