What Are the Chances of Getting Gestational Diabetes?
Monday, June 8th, 2009 at
9:31 am
Laura,RDH asked:
Hi Everyone,
Im about to start trying for a second child and have some concerns about diabetes. I had gestational diabetes with my first child and was insulin dependent for the last 8 weeks of my pregnancy. I was wondering if anyone knew the chances of getting it the 2nd time around? Also, I’ve been hearing about women who had gestational diabetes for 2 consecutive pregnancies and then ended up keeping diabetes for their lifetime. Does anyone know any information on this as well?
Hi Everyone,
Im about to start trying for a second child and have some concerns about diabetes. I had gestational diabetes with my first child and was insulin dependent for the last 8 weeks of my pregnancy. I was wondering if anyone knew the chances of getting it the 2nd time around? Also, I’ve been hearing about women who had gestational diabetes for 2 consecutive pregnancies and then ended up keeping diabetes for their lifetime. Does anyone know any information on this as well?
Tagged with: Diabetes 2 • Insulin • Lifetime
Filed under: Diabetes
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if you get gestational diabetes, they do say you have a higher risk of getting it in subsequent pregnancies, and also type 2 diabetes if you don’t watch your weight and eat well after pregnancy.
I had insulin dependant gestational diabetes with my twins, and was SURE i was getting it with my subsequent child….especially knowing i was eating sooo badly at the time……but i didn’t end up having it again…. they did however make me do the fasting glucose challenge for that pregnancy!
Good luck!
Pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar (glucose) levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women – about 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes in the United States each year.
We don’t know what causes gestational diabetes, but we have some clues. The placenta supports the baby as it grows. Hormones from the placenta help the baby develop. But these hormones also block the action of the mother’s insulin in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it hard for the mother’s body to use insulin. She may need up to three times as much insulin.
Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels. This is called hyperglycemia.