All the food that we have in our body breaks down into glucose, a simple sugar which is then utilized to provide energy to the body. The human body has a very efficient hormonal system to regulate the quantity of glucose present in the body, in order to keep the glucose levels at an acceptable level. The body produces a hormone known as insulin, which allows the body to metabolize glucose and render the levels of it well within the normal ranges. However, a lack of insulin, or an insufficiency of insulin to metabolize glucose, may cause the body to have excessive amounts of the nutrient, causing a disorder known as diabetes.
During pregnancy, it is the mother’s body which is responsible for supplying glucose as nourishment to the baby as well. The glucose is passed on from the mother’s body, to the infant’s through the placenta. This glucose is the only source of nourishment for the baby. The baby also needs hormones to develop, which is passed on to it through the placenta. However, this makes it hard for the body to use insulin. As a result, there is an excess of glucose in the blood stream, causing diabetes during pregnancy.
This diabetes, also known as gestational diabetes during pregnancy, is a condition which limits itself to the length of pregnancy. Since the disturbed flow of hormones in the body causes a temporary insulin resistance, the gestational diabetes is experienced. Since the placenta increases manufacturing anti insulin hormones during the latter half of the pregnancy, most women experience gestational diabetes in the second half of the pregnancy. Fortunately, if a woman becomes diabetic during pregnancy, she usually goes back to normal health after the baby is delivered.
Diabetes during pregnancy effects are as harmful as those of diabetes during the normal health condition of a person. Though getting diabetes during pregnancy is very common, it is certainly not desirable. To avoid diabetes during pregnancy, women should be extremely careful about the weight they gain during their pregnancy. It is important to gain only that much weight which is healthy during the pregnancy. Also, expectant mothers should discuss with their doctors and maintain a physical routine which allows them to keep fit. This can also help decrease the risk of developing gestational diabetes.
Diabetes during pregnancy is a temporary condition and if a woman continues to maintain a healthy lifestyle, there are very rare chances of her developing diabetes later in her life.
Submitted by J on November 30, 2010 at 01:18