Pregnancy is often depicted as a time of joy and anticipation, but it also comes with its own set of health challenges and concerns. Among these, gestational diabetes stands out as a silent yet significant medical condition that can impact the mother and her unborn child. It’s an unnoticed sugar trap that can creep up without obvious symptoms. 

By catching this sugar trap early, your healthcare provider can implement strategies to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, thereby protecting you and your child from potential complications. Go through this article to understand how regular checkups and screenings for gestational diabetes can be beneficial. 

What is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or pregnancy diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy (gestation). Like any other type of diabetes, gestational diabetes affects how an individual’s cells use sugar or glucose. It is basically characterized by high blood sugar levels that develop in women who did not have diabetes before becoming pregnant.  

Typically diagnosed between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy, women have gestational diabetes due to their body’s inability to produce enough insulin to handle the increased levels of glucose generated when pregnant.

What are the Causes of Gestational Diabetes?

The exact causes of gestational diabetes mellitus remain unknown. However, it’s believed to be related to hormonal changes and how these affect insulin sensitivity during pregnancy. Changes in hormones can make it harder for your body to process blood sugar efficiently, making blood sugar rise.

Some other risk factors for gestational diabetes might include the following:

• Weight gain or obesity
• A history of gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
• A family history of diabetes

The Importance of Regular Checkups and Screenings for Gestational Diabetes

Regular gestational diabetes check up are the cornerstone of a healthy pregnancy. The following listed are some reasons why consistent monitoring and screenings for GDM are indispensable:

• Timely Intervention and Management: Detecting gestational diabetes early allows for timely intervention and management, helping prevent further pregnancy complications. Not many know that uncontrolled blood sugar levels can lead to excessive fetal growth, increasing the need for cesarean delivery and the risk of birth injuries. 
• Preventing Pregnancy Complications: It’s found that gestational diabetes can lead to preeclampsia - a condition characterized by high blood pressure that can damage other organs in your body. By scheduling regular screenings for pregnancy diabetes, your care provider can help manage and mitigate these risks, ensuring a safer pregnancy.
• Ensuring Fetal Health: High blood sugar levels of a mother can affect the baby’s insulin production, leading to hypoglycemia after birth. Continuous monitoring is your key to maintaining normal maternal glucose levels and safeguarding your baby’s health.
• Long-term Health Benefits: With early and effective management of gestational diabetes, you can reduce the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes after giving birth. Moreover, it promotes healthier lifestyle choices that not only benefits you but also your child long after the pregnancy.

Different Screenings and Tests to Diagnose Gestational Diabetes

Checkups and screenings for gestational diabetes are a standard part of prenatal care, typically carried out between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy. Below given are the common tests used to diagnose this condition:

• Glucose Challenge Test (GCT): It’s often the first screening test that care providers perform for pregnancy diabetes. The expectant mother is asked to drink a sugary solution, and her blood sugar levels are tested an hour later. Your doctor might recommend a more detailed test if the results show higher-than-normal glucose levels.
• Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT): If the GCT results are abnormal, the OGTT is the next test your gynaecologist might perform. You are supposed to eat nothing for a night, and then your blood sugar levels are measured once you consume a glucose solution. Blood sugar levels are tested at multiple intervals to confirm the diagnosis of gestational diabetes.
• Fasting Blood Sugar Test: Sometimes, a fasting blood sugar test is used to diagnose whether you have diabetes during the gestation period. Your blood sugar level is measured after fasting for at least eight hours. 
• HbA1c Test: Though less common, the HbA1c test measures average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months. Although it’s not typically used for diagnosing gestational diabetes, it can provide useful information about your blood sugar control in early pregnancy or when at high risk for diabetes.
• Random Plasma Glucose Test: You don’t need to fast to undergo this test. Elevated blood sugar levels at random points can signal the need for further testing, particularly when exhibiting symptoms of hyperglycemia.

How Can You Prevent Gestation Diabetes?

The pregnancy journey should be marked by joy and excitement rather than worry and risk. With the appropriate screenings and by following the below-discussed measures, expectant mothers can prevent having gestational diabetes:

• Start Pregnancy at a Healthy Weight: Are you planning to extend your family? If so, losing extra weight before conceiving can pave the way for a healthier pregnancy. So, make healthy changes to your eating habits that you can easily sustain throughout your pregnancy.
• Stay Active: Exercising before and during pregnancy is the best thing you can do to prevent your blood sugar levels from rising. Consider doing moderate activities for 30 minutes 3-4 days a week.
• Have Healthy Foods: Have high-fibre, low-fat and calorie foods during pregnancy. Strive for a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and watch portion sizes.
• Avoid Gaining More Weight than Recommended: Gaining some weight during pregnancy is normal but see to it you don’t gain too much weight too quickly.

All-in-All

While GDM usually resolves after childbirth, it can raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life for you and your child. So, it’s paramount to diagnose and treat pregnancy diabetes on time.