Gestational Diabetes Diagnosed and Treated by Diabetes Doctors in Baltimore

Gestational diabetes occurs specifically during pregnancy, though not all pregnant women develop gestational diabetes. Like Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes causes high blood sugar levels. Having high blood sugar during pregnancy can affect both the mother’s and baby’s health. Typically, gestational diabetes disappears after the baby is born; however, women who develop gestational diabetes are at a high risk for developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.

Risk factors for developing gestational diabetes include:

• Obesity
• Family history
• Ethnicity (African American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander and Native American)
• Having had a previous child who weighed more than 9 pounds at birth
• Increased age at time of pregnancy

Typically, expectant mothers do not experience any signs of gestational diabetes but if symptoms of gestational diabetes do occur, they can include:

• Fatigue
• Frequent infections
• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weight loss
• Blurred vision

Testing for gestational diabetes is a part of regular prenatal care. An oral glucose tolerance test is conducted between weeks 24 and 28 to detect if there is a possibility of gestational diabetes. For high-risk mothers, this gestational diabetes test is performed earlier in the pregnancy.

Treatment options for gestational diabetes include managing blood sugar through diet and exercise. If necessary, medication or insulin may be prescribed. The diabetes specialists and diabetes nurse educators at The Center for Endocrinology at Mercy have a Gestational Diabetes Program to help expectant mothers keep their blood sugar levels within a normal range. Mercy’s diabetes educators teach expectant mothers how to test their blood sugar at home.