The answer is: nothing. The cause of gestational diabetes – a condition characterized by dangerously high levels of blood sugar in pregnant women – has long been a mystery.

And more moms-to-be are likely to be diagnosed now. That’s because blood sugar levels previously thought to be normal pose a risk to mother and baby, according to a recent study by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

About 5%-8% of pregnant women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes. But as a result of new blood sugar guidelines, that number could climb to 16%.

Blood sugar levels now considered dangerous are:

• Fasting blood sugar level of 92 or higher
• 1-hour level of 180 or higher on a glucose tolerance test
• 2-hour level of 153 or higher on a glucose tolerance test

So what’s the danger of gestational diabetes? It can cause complications such as overweight babies with high insulin levels, premature births, dangerously high blood pressure in the mother, and more C-section deliveries.

The good news is gestational diabetes is highly manageable. According to a Wiser Pregnancy survey, 70%-100% of pregnant women and women doctors successfully managed the condition with diet and exercise, plus regular monitoring of their blood sugar.

Interestingly, only 22% of non-physician women took prescription insulin, whereas 55% of pregnant doctors took a prescription to manage their diabetes.

A healthy diet is also key. A diabetic woman’s daily diet should consist of three small meals and three snacks a day of fiber-rich vegetables, fruits, beans, lean protein and legumes. Refined starches such as white bread and sweets should be avoided as much as possible.

And just in time for summer comes this news: People with diabetes are prone to heat-related illness, thanks to an impaired ability to sweat. For pregnant women, excess heat can damage a developing baby. So if you have gestational diabetes, stay cool and drink plenty of cold fluids.

Do you have gestational diabetes?

How are you managing your condition: diet, insulin or other ways?

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And that, in turn, can put your baby at risk.

A new study has found that babies born to obese mothers with gestational diabetes are at increased risk of becoming obese by age 11. That puts the kids at risk of developing type 2 diabetes themselves. 

From the study:

The researchers found that mother’s weight early in pregnancy was the strongest predictor of her child’s overweight status and resulting insulin resistance.

At age 2, 8 and 11, far more children of obese mothers were overweight than children of non-obese moms, the researchers report in the journal Diabetes Care. At age 11, for example, 46 percent of children of obese moms were overweight compared with 12 percent of children of non-obese moms.

Nearly a third (31 percent) of the children born to women with gestational diabetes were overweight by age 11 compared to less than 16 percent of the children of non-diabetic moms and moms with type 1 diabetes.

According to a Wiser Pregnancy survey, about 75% of women have gotten tested or plan to get tested for gestational diabetes.

While only 6% of pregnant women are actually diagnosed with gestational diabetes (in which a woman who isn’t diabetic develops the condition during pregnancy), you’re at greater risk if you’re overweight or obese, or have a family history of diabetes.

The good news is that most moms-to-be are taking preventive steps. A mere 3% of women decline a glucose tolerance test (the simple test for gestational diabetes) when one is recommended.

A glucose tolerance test is simple and inexpensive.  It usually costs less than $25 for the test, which involves fasting, going to your doctor’s office, drinking a sweet solution and having your blood sugar levels tested at intervals to see how your blood sugar levels drop over time.

To learn more about gestational diabetes, click here.  

Have you been diagnosed with gestational diabetes? If so, how are you managing the condition?

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A new study conducted by doctors at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital shows that women with gestational glucose intolerance (also known as “pre-diabetes”) are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease later on.

A recent WiserPregnancy survey has found that although only 6% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes, others suffer from blood sugar intolerance.

You may wonder how high blood sugar can affect pregnancy. Of greatest concern, your baby can grow too large. If the baby is very large, you and the baby may suffer injuries during delivery. Very large babies are also at higher risk for developing jaundice or even suffering stillbirth or death.

Your ability to control your blood sugar during pregnancy also has a long-term effect on your child’s health. Babies that are very large at birth have an increased risk of developing diabetes or becoming obese during their lifetime.

Ask your doctor about taking a glucose tolerance test. This simple maternal blood test measures your blood sugar levels and can diagnose gestational diabetes and gestational glucose intolerance.

As long as gestational diabetes or glucose intolerance are caught and managed, you have little to worry about. The first step is to meet with a specialist to learn more about the condition and how to manage it. Most women actively monitor blood sugar, change their diet, exercise regularly and/or use insulin to control their blood sugar and deliver healthy babies.

Were you diagnosed with gestational diabetes or glucose intolerance? How did this change your pregnancy care and lifestyle?

Related posts:

1. More Women Likely to Be Diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes
2. Study: Childhood Obesity May Begin in the Womb
3. The Pressure’s On: What Is Gestational Hypertension?