Gestational diabetes refers to the discovery of high blood sugar levels during pregnancy. The signs of gestational diabetes in pregnancy are fatigue, excessive thirst, frequency and amount of urination. While these are also common symptoms of pregnancy, potential risks are not only to you but your unborn child, so it is very important to have a blood test and monitor your health closely. Those most at risk for developing signs of gestational diabetes in pregnancy are women who are overweight, have poor glucose tolerance, and a family history of diabetes. African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans are also at greater risk. The risks to the unborn child include increased likelihood of miscarriage or birth defects in major organs such as the heart and brain. There may be over-nutrition of the fetus, which causes low blood sugar at birth. Properly monitored and treated, however, even a woman with diabetes can …

Pregnancy diabetes symptoms look so much like normal pregnancy discomforts that many women suffering from pregnancy diabetes, also known as gestational diabetes, do not even realize that they may have pregnancy related diabetes.

The signs and symptoms of diabetes in pregnancy typically begin somewhere in the middle of the second trimester. The condition is usually diagnosed at about 24 week’s gestation because your physician will order a gestational diabetes screening that needs to be scheduled and done in the laboratory. The ADA (American Diabetes Association) website infers that around 18% of pregnant women are diagnosed with pregnancy related diabetes.

A diagnosis of gestational diabetes does not mean that you had diabetes before you were pregnant or that you will have it after the pregnancy is over. Many women have gestational diabetes who have never previously had diabetes and who go through life never experiencing diabetes again.

The important thing to …