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Diabetes and Pregnancy – How it Affects You
By M. A. Fulmar

Pregnancy and diabetes are two words that a future mother doesn't want to hear in the same sentence, but a condition to watch for is gestational diabetes mellitus. This is a condition that only affects pregnant women, and according to statistics, there are approximately 200,000 cases in the US each year.

Safety And Monitoring

However, having this form of diabetes and a pregnancy that continues normally is entirely possible. If a woman appears to be at risk, her doctor will likely conduct a test from between 24-28 weeks. If the test is positive, exercising and monitoring both your diet and your blood sugar levels should be adequate in most cases.

Your health care provider will tell you exactly what to do. In some cases insulin injections may be necessary, but the baby should be fine. After birth, gestational diabetes mellitus generally disappears within about two months. However, this may be a warning sign of future diabetes and will need to be tracked by your health care provider.

If you are considering another pregnancy and had diabetes of this type in the past, always be sure to consult with your physician. You should have your blood glucose levels tested a few months before making an attempt to get pregnant again.

Preeclampsia And Diabetes

For those with gestational diabetes or pre-existing diabetes, a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery are, again, generally the norm. Unfortunately, diabetes does increase the risk of the condition known as preeclampsia that can affect pregnant women. First: What is preeclampsia?

Preeclampsia is a hypertensive condition (high blood pressure) experienced by between five to eight percent of pregnant women that can put stress on the kidneys and liver. It can also lead to edema of the lungs, increase the risk of blood clots and cause seizures during the birth as well.

Preeclampsia can even kill, and for those with gestational diabetes there is an approximately 15% increase in the risk factor for this condition. For those with pre-existing diabetes, that risk factor goes up to 30%, and the condition is most common in a first-time pregnancy. Your health care provider will no doubt be monitoring for such things.

Although diabetes and pregnancy can be scary, chances are that the expecting mother can look forward to a happy and normal delivery. Just be cautious and prudent and work closely together with your physician to keep on top of things, and you'll be just fine.

Author Details:
M. A. Fulmar writes about Diabetes and other health matters for various web sites including, The A to Z of and Information Junkie.

Source: Free Health Article Directory

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