Gestational diabetes occurs when high blood glucose, or sugar, levels are found in a pregnant woman. In order to be classified as gestational diabetes, the high blood sugar levels must have started when the woman became pregnant, states MedlinePlus, a National Institutes of Health website. The diseases is more commonly found in mothers with a family history of diabetes, obese patients and mothers of African or Hispanic descent. Gestational diabetes can cause complications for the mother and the baby. Identifying the early signs of the disease will help patients seek medical treatment before any damage is done.
Frequent Urination
Frequent urination can be an early sign of gestational diabetes, according to MayoClinic.com. The excess sugar in the blood overflows into the urinary tubules. Once the sugar is there, it pulls water into the urine as well. This drastically swells the amount of urine the kidneys produce. Large amounts of urine flow into the urinary bladder and cause it to swell. As the bladder enlarges, it sends signals to the brain that increase the patient’s urge to urinate. Urine volume is increased and time between each episode of urination is shortened. This symptom may be difficult to identify because pregnant women typically urinate much more frequently then non-pregnant women.
Increased Thirst
Patients with gestational diabetes will notice an unusual thirst, reports the American Pregnancy Association. Diabetes causes patients to lose large amounts of water due to frequent excretion of large amounts of water. The body needs water to function properly, so in order to recover the lost water, the body manifests an increased urge to drink, or thirst. Pregnant woman with this symptom tend to drink large amounts of water and often complain of intense thirst.
Fatigue
Gestational diabetes can cause patients to feel tired and lethargic. This fatigue can be a symptom of the disease, reports MedlinePlus. In gestational diabetes, sugar is not able to reach the organs of the body. Without sugar, the body is unable to produce enough energy to sustain various biological functions. The fatigue is more evident in pregnant women because pregnancy burns up large amounts of energy. The pregnancy combined with gestational diabetes significantly reduces the amount of energy that can be used by the patient’s body. This lack of energy manifests as fatigue and inability to perform mild or strenuous physical activity.
