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What Causes Gestational Diabetes Mellitus?

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. It occurs when hormones produced during pregnancy interfere with insulin production and blood sugar regulation. Women with GDM are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Treatment focuses on maintaining normal blood sugar levels through diet, exercise, blood glucose monitoring, and possibly insulin injections. Babies of mothers with GDM face risks like being large for gestational age or hypoglycemia after birth.

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Zoe Jeanne Garciano
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27 views

What Causes Gestational Diabetes Mellitus?

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. It occurs when hormones produced during pregnancy interfere with insulin production and blood sugar regulation. Women with GDM are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Treatment focuses on maintaining normal blood sugar levels through diet, exercise, blood glucose monitoring, and possibly insulin injections. Babies of mothers with GDM face risks like being large for gestational age or hypoglycemia after birth.

Uploaded by

Zoe Jeanne Garciano
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Gestational 

Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)

 is glucose intolerance with onset during pregnancy. In true GDM, glucose


usually returns to normal by six weeks postpartum, although women with
GDM have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus later in
life.
 The primary concern for any woman with this disorder is controlling the
balance between insulin and blood glucose levels to
prevent hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia.

What causes gestational diabetes mellitus?


Although the cause of GDM is not known, there are some theories as to why the
condition occurs.

The placenta supplies a growing fetus with nutrients and water, and also produces a
variety of hormones to maintain the pregnancy. Some of these hormones (estrogen,
cortisol, and human placental lactogen) can have a blocking effect on insulin. This is
called contra-insulin effect, which usually begins about 20 to 24 weeks into the
pregnancy.

What are the risks factors associated with gestational diabetes


mellitus?
Although any woman can develop GDM during pregnancy, some of the factors that may
increase the risk include the following:

 Overweight or obesity
 Family history of diabetes
 Having given birth previously to an infant weighing greater than 9 pounds
 Age (women who are older than 25 are at a greater risk for developing
gestational diabetes than younger women)
 Race (women who are African-American, American Indian, Asian American,
Hispanic or Latino, or Pacific Islander have a higher risk)
 Prediabetes, also known as impaired glucose tolerance

Treatment for gestational diabetes mellitus


Treatment for gestational diabetes focuses on keeping blood glucose levels in the
normal range. Treatment may include:

 Special diet
 Exercise
 Daily blood glucose monitoring
 Insulin injections

Possible complications for the baby


Infants of mothers with gestational diabetes are vulnerable to several
chemical imbalances, such as low serum calcium and low serum
magnesium levels, but, in general, there are two major problems of
gestational diabetes:

 Macrosomia. Macrosomia refers to a baby who is considerably larger than


normal. All of the nutrients the fetus receives come directly from the mother's
blood. If the maternal blood has too much glucose, the pancreas of the fetus
senses the high glucose levels and produces more insulin in an attempt to use
this glucose. The fetus converts the extra glucose to fat. Even when the mother
has gestational diabetes, the fetus is able to produce all the insulin it needs. The
combination of high blood glucose levels from the mother and high insulin levels
in the fetus results in large deposits of fat which causes the fetus to grow
excessively large.
 Hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia refers to low blood sugar in the baby
immediately after delivery. This problem occurs if the mother's blood sugar levels
have been consistently high, causing the fetus to have a high level of insulin in its
circulation. After delivery, the baby continues to have a high insulin level, but it no
longer has the high level of sugar from its mother, resulting in the newborn's
blood sugar level becoming very low. The baby's blood sugar level is checked
after birth, and if the level is too low, it may be necessary to give the baby
glucose intravenously.

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