Gestational Diabetes

📖What is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy in women who did not have diabetes before becoming pregnant, occurring when the body cannot produce enough additional insulin to overcome the natural insulin resistance that develops as pregnancy progresses. Hormones produced by the placenta interfere with the action of insulin, and while most pregnant women's pancreas can produce enough extra insulin to compensate, some cannot, leading to elevated blood sugar levels during pregnancy. The condition typically develops in the second or third trimester and is usually identified through a routine screening glucose test performed as part of standard prenatal care. If left unmanaged, gestational diabetes can lead to complications for both mother and baby, including excessive birth weight, difficult delivery, and increased risk of the mother developing type 2 diabetes later in life. With proper monitoring and management, most women with gestational diabetes have healthy pregnancies and deliveries.

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