Gestational diabetes is a condition that typically occurs around the 28th week of pregnancy or after. It affects the glucose levels -- the amount of sugar in the blood. The hormones the placenta emits sometimes block the mother's insulin,...
There are a few different types of diabetes, the disease that affects the body's production and use of the hormone insulin. One particular type, called gestational diabetes mellitus (usually just called gestational diabetes), strikes pregnant...
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, or a chemical produced by your body's nerve cells. Neurotransmitters are responsible for sending the brain regulatory messages about bodily functions, such as sleep or hunger. Serotonin sends the brain regulatory...
Gestational diabetes is the inability to control your blood sugar levels during pregnancy. It puts you and your baby at risk of developing health complications as a result of high blood sugar levels. Children born to mothers with uncontrolled...
By week 37 of pregnancy, a woman has likely been managing her gestational diabetes for about nine weeks. Blood tests for the condition are performed at the beginning of the third trimester, around 28 weeks. Although gestational diabetes does place...
Potassium is one of the body's seven vital electrolytes, according to Medical News Today. Electrolytes regulate nerve and muscle function, and potassium in particular is essential for controlling muscle contractions, including heartbeats. The...
Women with gestational diabetes, also known as gestational diabetes mellitus or GDM, need to check their blood sugar levels several times a day. This involves pricking the fingertip and squeezing out a drop of blood onto a special testing strip,...
Gestational diabetes affects two to ten percent of all pregnancies, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. It brings additional challenges to the experience of pregnancy. Your health care provider will prescribe...
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse estimated that 23.6 million people in the U.S. have diabetes. Diabetes comes in three forms: type 1, type 2 and gestational. Many of their symptoms and complications are the same, but they differ in...
Blood glucose levels in healthy people without diabetes normally stay within a fairly narrow range. After you eat, food is broken down in the stomach. Proteins, carbohydrates and fats enter the bloodstream and are taken up into the cells. Some are...
Blood glucose control during pregnancy is an important aspect of obstetrical care. Elevated levels during pregnancy can lead to delivery-related complications as well as newborn death, stillbirth and low blood glucose levels. Gestational diabetes...
If you are pregnant, excess amniotic fluid can increase your chances of developing gestational diabetes, characterized by high blood glucose levels. Having too much amniotic fluid may also be a signal that you have gestational diabetes. This...
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...
Diabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar levels are too high. This can cause health problems for anyone with the condition and can first occur when you are pregnant. MedlinePlus says gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that is...
Gestational diabetes is diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. Diabetes affects the way the body processes glucose, the main energy source for the body. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, or NDIC, out of 100 pregnant...
A pregnant woman with diabetes is classified by when she was diagnosed. If diabetes was present prior to pregnancy, it is pregestational and can be either type 1 (insulin-dependent, or juvenile) or type 2. As the average age of onset for type 2...
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin necessary for calcium absorption, bone mineralization, inflammation reduction, muscle strength and immune function. The active form of vitamin D is 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, or calcitriol. Calcitriol can be made...
Women who develop diabetes while they are pregnant suffer from a condition called gestational diabetes or gestational diabetes mellitus, also called GDM. The disease strikes about 5 percent of women who are pregnant, or close to 200,000 a year,...
Diabetes is an endocrine disease that affects around 23.6 million people in the United States. Incorporate physical activity into your daily living to help you better control your diabetes. Getting your health in check will allow you to enjoy a...
When a pregnant woman with no history of diabetes or glucose intolerance experiences high blood sugar readings, she may have gestational diabetes. The American Diabetes Association reports that 4 percent of pregnant women are diagnosed with...
According to the American Pregnancy Association, 2 percent to 5 percent of all expectant mothers will develop gestational diabetes, or insulin resistance. Gestational diabetes is most commonly a temporary condition during pregnancy in which the...
Your body goes through many physiological changes during pregnancy to adapt to the growing baby in your belly. These changes can be both physically and mentally stressful on the mother. Prenatal exercise offers benefits that can help reduce...
Diabetes that begins during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes. This condition affects 5 to 9 percent of all pregnancies in the United States, and it is becoming more common, according to a July 2009 article in "American Family Physician."...
Gestational diabetes, is a type of diabetes that only occurs during a women's pregnancy. Unlike other forms of diabetes, glucose metabolism is only affected during pregnancy and usually returns to normal soon after delivery. Gestational diabetes...
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs only when a woman is pregnant. However, if not managed well, gestational diabetes can predispose a woman to type 2 diabetes later in life. Fortunately, many women can manage gestational...
A small percentage of women will have gestational diabetes during pregnancy. It isn't clear what causes it, but researchers believe hormones from the placenta block the mother's insulin production. Gestational diabetes will not cause the same...
Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that results in abnormally high levels of sugar within the blood. An estimated 24 million people in the United States have some form of diabetes, according to health officials at the U.S. Department of...
Diabetic menus should vary depending on the type of diabetes. Menus for Type 1 diabetes should not be identical to menus for patients who are Type 2 diabetics. A menu for a 20-year-old pregnant female with gestational diabetes includes frequent...
Gestational diabetes is a serious condition that is characterized by high blood sugar levels during the second half of your pregnancy. Three to eight out of every 100 pregnant women will acquire gestational diabetes. If left untreated, gestational...
Try these eating tips for dealing with gestational diabetes. Learn how to adjust your diet to fit your specific health and nutrition needs in this video on grocery shopping.
