Gestational Diabetes is the medical term used to describe Diabetes Mellitus that presents during pregnancy and disappears after the baby has been delivered. The American Diabetes Association estimates that approximately 4% of women who are pregnant will develop Gestational Diabetes. This condition requires very specialized care for the remainder of the pregnancy in order to protect the health of both the mother and child. (1)
During pregnancy some women develop a resistance to insulin that results in Gestational Diabetes. Insulin is the hormone that draws sugar from the bloodstream into the cells where it is burned to supply energy at the cellular level. Without the sugar the body is forced to burn fat for fuel. This has a significant negative effect on both the mother and baby. The extra sugar in the bloodstream also causes complications in the health of the mother and child.
Because of the significant negative effects for both mother and child current standard treatment in pregnancy calls for a screening test after the 1st trimester. Women who are greater risk for Gestational Diabetes will undergo a 5 hour glucose tolerance test. The screening test is a simple blood test that is drawn to look for the presence of too much sugar in the blood. The five hour glucose tolerance test (GTT) is a much more complex test. (2)
During a five hour GTT the woman is given between 8-16 ounce of a high sugar drink and then urine and blood is tested at 30 minute intervals for the next 5 hours. This test looks at how the woman’s body handles the extra sugar load, how much insulin is secreted and how much sugar is left in the blood stream and spills into the urine.
References:
(1) American diabetes Association: Gestational diabetes
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/
(2) Beaumont Health system: Glucose Tolerance Test
http://beaunet.beaumont.edu/portal/pls/portal/lab.lab_pkg.lab_test_info_content?xid=1570
(3) Mayoclinic.com: Gestational Diabetes
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gestational-diabetes/ds00316/dsection=symptoms
(4) American Pregnancy Association: Gestational Diabetes
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/gestationaldiabetes.html
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