Diabetes
After you eat your glucose level is elevated. Glucose levels are controlled by insulin and glucagon. Before you eat, the level is low. Once you have eaten, and the glucose level rises, your insulin is secreted. This makes the glucose go into the cells to be metabolized to glycogen, amino acids, and fatty acids. By testing this, it will give your care giver a guide to your body’s handling your glucose level. If it is elevated or abnormal , your care giver might talk with you about doing a 2 or 3 hour glucose tolerance test. It will give him/her more information about how your body is handling and processing glucose.
You will have your sugar checked a few different ways when you have my services, one test will be a Glucose, and a HgA1c. If either of these is out of the normal range, you will need to have the 2 or 3 hour glucose tolerance test.
Signs and Symptoms:
1. Increased thirst
2. Need to urinate more often. (this is also a normal sign of pregnancy too)
3. Extreme fatigue
4. Nausea and Vomiting
5. Increased thirst and Hunger
6. Increase infections
7. Blurry vision
The following is from Stanford Children's Health. Please read more here LINK
What causes diabetes in pregnancy?
The placenta supplies a growing fetus with nutrients and water. It also produces a variety of hormones to maintain the pregnancy. Some of these hormones (estrogen, cortisol, and human placental lactogen) can block insulin. This usually begins about 20 to 24 weeks into the pregnancy.
As the placenta grows, more of these hormones are produced, and insulin resistance becomes greater. Normally, the pancreas is able to make additional insulin to overcome insulin resistance, but when the production of insulin is not enough to overcome the effect of the placental hormones, gestational diabetes results.
Pregnancy also may change the insulin needs of a woman with preexisting diabetes. Insulin-dependent mothers may require more insulin as pregnancy progresses.
