How To Control Sugar During Pregnancy: Pregnancy is often considered a journey full of happiness and excitement, but during this time some hidden health risks can also come to the fore. One of these is gestational diabetes, which is nowadays being recognized as a serious problem during pregnancy. Guidelines from the Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group of India, which is supported by the Health Ministry, recommend screening for all pregnant women. Its objective is to identify the disease in time, so that the risks to both mother and child can be reduced.

What are its symptoms?

Gestational diabetes often develops without any obvious symptoms, so many women do not realize it until a test shows high blood sugar. If it is not treated, problems may increase at the time of delivery and the risk of the mother getting type-2 diabetes increases in the future. For this reason, timely investigation is considered very important.

What do experts say?

According to health experts and WHO, blood sugar should be checked between 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy. However, DIPSI recommends that this test can be started even earlier, i.e. at the first antenatal visit itself, so that the disease can be controlled in the early stages. Even if a woman does not have the usual risk factors for diabetes, testing can help catch the disease early. With this, necessary precautions like changes in diet, blood sugar monitoring and safe physical activities can be adopted in time. According to the 2023 guidelines of DIPSI, a simple test of 75 grams of glucose without fasting is considered to be a cost-effective and reliable method, which can also be done at primary health centres.

It affects children

If blood sugar is not under control during pregnancy, it can affect the child as well. Due to excess sugar, the weight of the child can increase excessively, which can cause problems at the time of delivery. Some newborn babies may have the problem of sudden drop in blood sugar after birth and in severe cases they may have to be admitted to NICU. Therefore, careful monitoring is necessary during the entire pregnancy. The main goal of managing gestational diabetes is to keep the mother’s blood sugar level stable. For this, a balanced diet is very important, in which the amount of carbohydrates is controlled and food rich in fiber is included. Keeping distance from processed food and overly sweet things prevents sudden increase in blood sugar and improves the health of both mother and child.

How can we protect ourselves?

Light exercise, like daily walking or pregnancy-safe yoga, helps increase insulin sensitivity. If sugar is not controlled by lifestyle changes alone, then insulin or medicines are given under the supervision of the doctor, so that both the mother and the fetus remain safe. Even after delivery the risk does not disappear completely. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a higher risk of developing type-2 diabetes or prediabetes later on. Therefore, it is considered necessary to check blood sugar within 4 to 12 weeks of delivery and then at regular intervals.

Also read: These are the strangest diseases of the world, you will be shocked to hear the condition of those suffering from them.

Disclaimer: This information is based on research studies and expert opinion. Do not consider this as a substitute for medical advice. Before adopting any new activity or exercise, please consult your doctor or relevant specialist.

Check out below Health Tools-
Calculate Your Body Mass Index (BMI)

Calculate The Age Through Age Calculator

Gestational Diabetes In Pregnancy: Pregnancy is often considered a time full of happiness and excitement, but during this time some health problems can also arise which are not detected on time. One such serious problem is gestational diabetes, which is increasing rapidly these days. In view of the increasing cases of diabetes during pregnancy in India, the guidelines of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group of India (DIPSI) have been recently updated and have also been approved by the Health Ministry. Under this, diabetes testing of all pregnant women is considered necessary, so that the disease can be detected in time.

What is gestational diabetes?

The biggest problem of gestational diabetes is that its symptoms are often not clearly visible. In such a situation, many women do not come to know about it until the blood sugar is found increased in the test. For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends testing between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. At the same time, DIPSI says that it is better to start screening in the first antenatal visit itself, so that treatment can be done in time.

For whom is testing necessary?

This test is also considered necessary for those women who do not appear to have any traditional risk of diabetes. By examining everything, the disease can be caught early and measures like diet control, blood sugar monitoring and safe exercise can be started in time. According to the 2023 recommendations of DIPSI, the 75 gram glucose test done without fasting is a reliable, cheap and easy method, which can also be adopted at primary health centres.

If blood sugar is not controlled during pregnancy, it can affect both mother and child. Due to excess sugar, the child’s weight can increase excessively, which is called macrosomia. This can cause problems like shoulder getting stuck during delivery. After birth, the newborn may suffer from low blood sugar or may have to be admitted to NICU. In severe cases, the risk of stillbirth also increases, hence timely identification and treatment is very important.

What do experts say?

As per doctor’s advice, doing light exercise like daily walking is also very beneficial for you. With this, insulin works better in the body. If sugar is not controlled by lifestyle changes alone, then insulin or necessary medicines are given under the supervision of the doctor. However, it should be kept in mind that even after delivery the risk does not completely disappear. Women who have diabetes during pregnancy have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes or prediabetes later on. Even if sugar becomes normal after delivery, almost half of the women may develop diabetes in the next 10 years, if precautions are not taken.

Read this also- Heart Attack Causes In Men: Microplastic is becoming a ‘silent killer’ for men, causing direct damage to the arteries.

Disclaimer: This information is based on research studies and expert opinion. Do not consider this as a substitute for medical advice. Before adopting any new activity or exercise, please consult your doctor or relevant specialist.

Check out below Health Tools-
Calculate Your Body Mass Index (BMI)

Calculate The Age Through Age Calculator