Boston: High Blood Sugar In Early Pregnancy

Boston,

The detection of diabetes in women prior to conceiving or in the early stages of pregnancy is a cause for worry. Tight control on the blood glucose levels should be maintained through pregnancy to avoid other complications. The high sugar level can cause problems for the child in the fetal stage, during the entire duration of pregnancy or even after birth. One should take advice from a doctor if sugar levels rise before or during pregnancy.

Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the sugar in the blood is not absorbed completely. The sugar is metabolized in the body with the assistance of a hormone called insulin. If the body is unable to produce insulin in adequate amounts or if the sugar levels remain high in the blood for prolonged period, tissues can get damaged. Women diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes can not make insulin, while those with Type 2 do not produce sufficient levels of insulin or can not utilize the insulin produced. Tests should be done in early pregnancy to detect diabetes which could be pre-existing or which could have appeared for the first time. Diabetes may appear during pregnancy due to inability of the body to cope up with the requirements during this phase. If diagnosis is indicative of prior existence, the possibility of gestational diabetes remaining even after delivery is high.

This condition can increase the risks of defects at birth in the baby. if the mother suffers Type 1 diabetes, the chances of birth defects in the baby like neural tube disorders, defective heart or genital or bladder malformation becomes three times higher. Tight control of the glucose level in the first three months of pregnancy can reduce these risks. Intake of sufficient folic acid can avert neural tube defects.

High glucose levels increases miscarriage risk as well. The health of the growing fetus will be affected through out pregnancy. This can cause over-growth of the fetus and cause difficulty in delivery for both the mother and baby. Sometimes chances of stillbirth increases. The baby can eventually develop a high risk of getting elevated blood sugar after birth.

High sugar levels can lead to increase in the risk of getting pre-eclampsia which is a disorder during pregnancy which causes increased blood pressure. This condition can also increase the risk of getting seizure, bleeding during pregnancy or after delivery.

Diabetes remains undetected in many women. For women, who are obese or above 35 years, tests to check presence of diabetes should be done early during pregnancy.

Source by Kum Martin

High Blood Sugar In Early Pregnancy