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Gestational Diabetes and You
The Facts About this Misunderstood Condition
By Dorothy Nelson
It's not atypical to crave certain foods when pregnant. Many of us take the opportunity while our bellies are round to overindulge in eating the foods we love. In addition to their normal diet, many women like to enjoy feasting on bread, pizza, ice cream, chips and cookies during these nine months. Little did I know how dramatically my dietary habits would change until my glucose tolerance test result was positive.
Dr. Meredith Berger, endocrinologist at Johnston-Willis Hospital in Richmond, Va., explains that the glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is performed during approximately the 27th week of your pregnancy because, she says, "In the third trimester, women's bodies are 'insulin resistant' due to a 'raging hormonal state.'" Insulin, she says, "is the gatekeeper that helps keep the levels of sugar in your body balanced." Therefore, this test determines the level of sugar in your body. The test involves the following:
- Fasting until test time
- Having a tube of blood drawn
- Being given a highly sweetened carbonated, flavored drink
- Giving blood to test one, two and sometimes three hours later to assess your glucose tolerance.
It is very normal to be concerned and inquisitive about this condition. If you find yourself asking, "What is it? Why me? How will GDM affect my baby? What do I do now?" you're not alone.
Diabetics have abnormally high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. It is caused by the body's inability to break down simple sugars into glucose, which is used by the cells for energy. You get gestational diabetes because your pancreas isn't able to keep up with the insulin demand and transform sugar to glucose at its normal rate.
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