Keeping blood sugar within certain levels during pregnancy is important in avoiding health problems in both mother and baby. Blood sugar levels that are too low mean the body is not getting enough energy. High blood sugar might indicate gestational diabetes, a condition where the body is not able to turn food into energy for the body's cells. If left untreated, gestational diabetes can affect a child's long-term health and increase a mother's risk for high blood pressure and delivery complications.
Symptoms
Low blood sugar can cause hunger, confusion, clumsiness, fainting, nausea and vomiting. These symptoms are usually temporary and can usually be remedied by eating or drinking something containing carbohydrates. High blood sugar often has no obvious symptoms, but can sometimes cause blurry vision, fatigue, frequent infections, increased thirst and urination, nausea and vomiting, and weight loss despite a large appetite. While occasionally high blood sugar can often be lowered with adjustments in diet and exercise, chronically high blood sugar can lead to diabetes, which requires more specific treatment.
Ideal Blood Sugar Levels
Ideal blood sugar levels for people without diabetes should be between 70 and 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) after fasting for 8 to 10 hours. If you have diabetes, ideal blood sugar levels may differ, depending on your individual diabetes treatment plan.
Measuring Blood Sugar
As part of routine prenatal care, pregnant women undergo an oral glucose tolerance test between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy. You will be required to fast overnight before your blood is drawn in the morning. You'll then drink a sweet-tasting liquid that contains a certain amount of glucose. Your blood will be drawn again every 30 to 60 minutes after you finish the drink to measure how your body reacts to the glucose. Elevated blood sugar levels before or after the glucose drink can indicate diabetes or gestational diabetes.
Gestational Diabetes
According to the American Diabetes Association, gestational diabetes affects 4 percent of pregnant women each year. Gestational diabetes increases the risk of having an overly large baby, which, in turn, increases the risk of delivery complications, including Cesarean section. The condition usually ends after the baby is born, but gestational diabetes can increase a woman's risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
High maternal blood sugar causes the unborn baby's pancreas to make extra insulin that helps process the excess blood sugar while in the womb. At birth, however, this extra insulin can increase the baby's risk of very low blood sugar. These babies are also at risk for breathing problems and long-term risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Management and Prevention
If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, your doctor will work with you to create a plan to manage your blood sugar levels during pregnancy. This may include regularly monitoring your blood sugar levels, adjusting your diet and physical activity or taking insulin.
If you were diagnosed with diabetes before pregnancy, you should continue to monitor your blood sugar levels throughout your pregnancy, as part of your diabetes management plan. Work with your doctor to make changes as needed.
Even if you are not diagnosed with diabetes, a healthy, well-balanced diet and regular physical activity should be important parts of your daily routine during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about how to stay healthy during pregnancy and after your baby is born.
