Gestational Diabetes Risk Factors

Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar occurs in the second and third trimester of pregnancy and resolves at birth. 

Gestational diabetes occurs in approximately 9.2 percent of pregnancies in America.

Gestational Diabetes Risk Factors

Researchers are yet unable to understand why some women develop gestational diabetes and others not. However, we know there are some risk factors as underlined below that make it more likely. Although having a high BMI is a risk factor for gestational diabetes, slim women can also get it.

1. History of diabetes - the first-degree relatives; parent, brother, or sister is having diabetes.
2. Have pre-diabetes; high glucose levels yet not high enough to diagnose diabetes.
3. Have hypertension and or dyslipidemia.
4. Thirty-five years of age or older – our body organs start losing their normal functioning, including the pancreas. Thus, aging makes it challenging to support increasing insulin requirement and the risk of gestational diabetes.
5. Overweight and or obese; body mass index (BMI) + 25 kg/m2 or during pregnancy weight gain of 10 kg in the first trimester.
6. Has PCOs (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
7. During previous pregnancy have had gestational diabetes.
8. Previous recurrent abortion (>3 in previous pregnancies);
9. History of preterm delivery (<37 gestational week) or cesarean section.
10. In the previous delivery, gave birth a baby weighing more than 9 pounds (4000 grams).

You have one or more of the above said gestational diabetes risk factors, then you are more likely to have gestational diabetes. 

If you have many of the gestation diabetes risk factors, then you need to be professionally monitored. So that modifiable risk factors can be reduced or even eliminate.

Routine screening for gestational diabetes involves an oral glucose test; it consists of drinking a sugary drink contains 50 to 75 g of glucose. This test measures how your body metabolizes this sweet drink.

Gestational diabetes causes

Almost all women have some degree of impaired glucose intolerance during pregnancy due to hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy. That means their blood glucose is higher than usual, but not high enough to have diabetes. During the later part of pregnancy, these hormonal changes place a pregnant woman at risk for gestational diabetes.

The elevated blood glucose level in gestational diabetes is caused by hormones released by the placenta during pregnancy.

The placenta produces a hormone that is similar to growth hormone (it helps the baby grow) that modifies the metabolism and how she processes carbohydrates and lipids. It raises maternal blood glucose level and reduces insulin sensitivity (less able to utilize insulin properly). Thus the baby can get the nutrients it needs from the extra glucose in the blood.

At 15 weeks of pregnancy, human placental growth hormone also raises maternal blood glucose level. 

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 convert into energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels, called hyperglycemia.