Even if you’ve never had diabetes, the wellbeing of you and your baby is at risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, or pregnancy-related diabetes after which your wellness is at further risk of type 2. According to Vivian Fonseca, MD, professor of medicine and pharmacology and chief of the section of endocrinology at Tulane University Health Sciences Centre in New Orleans, ‘Outcomes for gestational diabetes have improved dramatically because women are very motivated during pregnancy. We just wish they would stay that way after the birth’.
Gestational diabetes means that your blood sugar has risen during pregnancy, and there are only theories at present that determine why this happens. Potentially, the placenta makes a hormone that blocks the blood-regulating insulin made by your pancreas. Your body can’t use blood sugar as energy very easily, which means the sugar gets stored in your blood and develops into gestational diabetes. This can cause a risk to you and your baby during pregnancy, and so a diagnosis of this disease means you have to focus more than ever on your diet, exercise, and weight management, to maintain normal blood sugar levels.
After you’ve given birth, you’re at risk to developing type 2 diabetes, as 5-10% of mothers with gestational diabetes immediately do, and those who don’t have a 20-50% chance of developing the disease within 10 years. In order to prevent this, you should get tested for diabetes six weeks to three months after delivery, and then every year after that. Regular testing will warn you of any signs of prediabetes and allow you to take preventative action.
Also, keep a healthy weight as you’re more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you are overweight or obese. Try to return to your pre-pregnancy weight in 3 months, but even losing 5-10% of your body weight can cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes dramatically. Breast-feeding helps you lose weight and reduce your diabetes risk, as does a low-fat, calorie-controlled diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Finally, get 30 minutes of physical activity a day, and remember that your gestational diabetes puts your children at an increased diabetes risk too, so making these lifestyle changes as a family can improve everyone’s wellness.
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