Pregnancy takes over your body and some of the internal regime changes it makes ripple through the body and affect otherwise healthy body systems. Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a potential side effect of your body's many changes. While hypoglycemia can be a symptom of a more serious underlying condition, it's often just a matter of inadequate calorie consumption due to morning sickness, upset stomach and other pregnancy complaints. Still, it's vital you see your doctor to rule out any underlying conditions that could negatively impact the health of both you and your baby.
Causes
Hypoglycemia simply means low blood sugar. If you feel nauseated or battle with morning sickness so often that it interferes with the amount of food you eat, you may experience hypoglycemia's characteristic dizziness, lightheadedness, shakiness or fatigue. Some women experience hypoglycemia as a result of gestational diabetes. In some women, the hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy interfere with the way your body uses insulin, another hormone. Those hormonal changes may also create hypoglycemia-like symptoms, so it's important to see your doctor for an official diagnosis.
Diagnosis
Your prenatal care provider can check you for hypoglycemia and gestational diabetes with a combination of simple blood tests and a careful review of your symptoms. You may also need to record your eating habits to look for problem patterns. Your doctor might ask you to use a home blood glucose monitoring system several times per day to make sure your blood sugar remains at safe, healthy levels.
Dangers
When your blood sugar drops, you're likely to feel dizzy or light-headed. These unsteady feelings can cause you to fall or faint. If you fall or faint, you could injure yourself and your baby. If a fall is serious enough, it could even lead to fetal death or miscarriage. If you become so lightheaded or dizzy that you pass out, the amount of oxygen supplied to your baby can decrease. Uncontrolled blood sugar duging pregnancy also increases your likelihood of developing diabetes after your baby is born. Hypoglycemia also increases your risk of developing a serious pregnancy complication called preeclampsia, or severe high blood pressure, according to a 2005 study published in the "Journal of Perinatology"
Treatment
Treatment for gestational hypoglycemia centers around dietary changes. In some cases, increasing the number of calories you eat and having a small meal or snack about every two hours will completely resolve your symptoms. If you have severe hypoglycemia tied to gestational diabetes, diet remains important, but your doctor may also prescribe medications to keep your blood sugar stable. Work closely with your prenatal care provider or family doctor to develop a safe, healthy symptom management plan.
