You must have seen many people in your home or relatives
who avoid using sugar in their foods
and taking insulin injections. There are high chances
that they are suffering from diabetes or gestational diabetes, a metabolic disease in
which, the body is unable to catabolize or cut the sugar
into the absorbable form so that it
produces energy in the body.
The sugar level in the blood increases the chances of causing
damage to various organs like nerves, kidneys, eyes, and other organs.
Diabetes is of various
types such as Diabetes Mellitus, Diabetes Insipidus,
and
Gestational Diabetes. In this article,
we are going to explain various aspects of gestational diabetes mellitus
and
when you have to take insulin injections for gestational diabetes.
TOPIC: WHEN TO TAKE INSULIN SHOTS FOR GESTATIONAL DIABETES USA 2021
Definition and Causes of Gestational Diabetes:
Diabetes or abnormal levels of blood sugar
occurred during pregnancy due to some insulin
blocker hormones secreted by the placenta.
Usually arises during, 24th – 28th week of
pregnancy.
It is temporary and blood sugar returns to
normal levels after, the birth of a child.
However, it increases the risk of birth defects in children
and
Type-2 diabetes in later life.
If not managed properly, it also raises
complications for both mother
and
child, during the parturition
or
delivery of a child.
Some complications that may occur are as follows:
- Hypertension
- pre-eclampsia,
- Stillbirth or miscarriage,
- birth defects, etc.
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)
or
gestational diabetes shows very mildly
or
no symptoms like Fatigue, Blurred Vision,
Excessive Thirst, Increased Urination,
and
sometimes snoring also.
It is more common in the United States of America where
approximately 10 percent of pregnant women
get this disease during pregnancy.
Researchers are not very clear about
the exact cause of gestational diabetes
but they do believe that hormones
play a major role in occurring Gestational
Diabetes Mellitus.
Specifically, hPL,hCG, and Insulin blocker hormones.
Over time, the body increases the production of these
hormones, which probably creates a resistance to insulin
in the body of pregnant women.
It is important to mention here that Insulin is a hormone,
used in carbohydrate metabolism by sending glucose into the cell
where it is used to make energy in the form of ATP and ADP,
mostly. Multiple risk factors are included in this such as,
if a woman is obese, over 25 years of age,
hypertension, family history of diabetes,
having multiple babies,
had an unexplained miscarriage
previously, have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), acanthosis nigricans,
taking glucocorticoids, etc. are some of them.
If a woman shows no diabetic symptoms at the beginning
of pregnancy and also no diabetic history of the family,
then doctors will perform a modified
Glucose Tolerance Test when you are 24 weeks due in pregnancy
to diagnose gestational diabetes.
Types of Gestational Diabetes:
Gestational diabetes is of two types, mainly.
The first one is the GDM A1 class,
which can be cured with some exercise
and diet change.
Another one is the GDM A2 class
which is insulin
and
medication dependent Diabetes
is also a low occurring class.
Only 10 to 20 percent of women get
affected by this gestational diabetes class.
Moreover, treatment depends upon the class for
gestational diabetes you get.
FAQs ON WHEN TO TAKE INSULIN SHOTS FOR GESTATIONAL DIABETES USA 2021:
Now, move on some to the frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to
gestational diabetes
mellitus.
1. Do you have to take insulin with gestational diabetes?
ANS. Not in all cases. As explained previously,
gestational diabetes is of various types, in which the
A2 class is insulin-dependent. Taking a balanced diet
and
doing exercise may not be
enough to lower your blood glucose level in this class.
You have to take insulin shots to keep a check on your
sugar level.
2. At what point do you need insulin with gestational diabetes?
When your body cannot produce enough insulin hormones on its own to keep
your blood sugar
levels within the normal range, so, your doctor may prescribe it to avoid
complications, occur
due to high blood sugar levels in pregnancy as stated earlier.
3. When is Insulin prescribed for gestational diabetes?
Insulin is prescribed in gestational diabetes due to many conditions like,
When you are unable to take Metformin, a medicine used to control high levels of blood
glucose, whether due to its side effects or any other reason.
When Metformin is unable to normalize your blood sugar levels even after taking the full
dose.
When your baby is bigger than normal (macrosomia)
When there is excessive amniotic fluid around the baby (hydramnios)
4. Can I refuse insulin for gestational diabetes?
Yeah, you have a right to refuse any treatment and nobody can force you,
but what is the point of
doing so? Doing this will put your future baby
and
yourself at greater risk of developing
complications and even mortality.
Insulin therapy is one of the best methods for controlling
diabetes with precision as doses can be increased
and
decreased.
5. What are the Side effects of insulin injection during pregnancy?
Insulin is taken as, intradermal injection. It cannot be given as capsules or pills
due to the
proteinaceous nature of insulin and it may get digested before reached to your
bloodstream.
So, you might feel soreness and get hard lumps at the site where insulin was
injected.
Avoid this, by changing the site of, injection shot.
6. Is It safe to take insulin in pregnancy?
Insulin cannot cross the placental barrier.
So, it never goes into the baby’s body from the
mother’s body. Therefore it is safe for the baby.
Foetus(BABY) has its own insulin which keeps a check on the
glucose level.
7. Can you inject insulin into your abdomen in pregnancy?
Insulin is made to be injected intradermally in adipose tissue.
The abdomen is the best site to inject insulin shots in pregnancy
as insulin reaches the bloodstream faster this way.
Avoid 2 inches of the square, around the belly button.
8. Insulin dosage in Pregnancy?
As the time of pregnancy increases, the requirements of food increase
and
the food baby gets from his mother in the form of glucose.
There is no fixed dosage for the amount of insulin
to be given during pregnancy.
The doctor keeps increasing or decreasing the quantity of insulin
depending on the time and condition of pregnancy.
The doctor sets a dose for every trimester
or
even fluctuates the doses a little bit depending upon the conditions.
9. Side effects of taking insulin when pregnant?
Too much insulin causes hypoglycemia (a condition in which blood glucose levels go down),
dizziness, sweating, blurred vision, Shaking, etc. to the mother.
All of them are temporary and
can be cured in a few minutes after developing
10. Will I still have to do a sugar test after pregnancy?.
Yes, as you developed Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)
during pregnancy which increases
the risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Just to ensure that you must have,
to test your blood glucose
level, every 3 years after delivery of the baby.
11.Is epidural OK or safe in gestational diabetes?
Yes, an epidural is an anesthesia that is given during
labor pain to minimize the labor pain epidural is
given at the lower back of your body to numb the lower body.
is it safe ?? yes it’s safe according to some research epidural
is safe to give during pregnancy
but there are certain risk factors involved:
- Baby Heart Rate may drop during delivery
- can affect labor and delivery
- headache after having epidural
- can enter the spinal fluid (Rare) sometimes n cause dizziness
- can also cause a seizure( Rare)
12.Will gestational diabetes affect my baby after finding out 8 months late?
If gestational diabetes is left untreated it may cause problems
for your baby, the mother who had gestational diabetes
and was not detected earlier during pregnancy
had complications like premature birth or stillbirth.
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