Gestational Diabetes Causes

Gestational diabetes is better understood by first understanding the body’s glucose metabolism. Glucose Metabolism: Glucose is the body’s fuel. Without glucose, or without being able to convert it into energy rapidly and efficiently, we cannot survive in good health. So it’s very important that our energy-metabolism system works efficiently. Here is a very simple explanation of how our body converts glucose into energy. When you eat food, Your digestive system breaks down most of the food into glucose. This glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream through the small intestine. In response to the rise in blood-glucose levels after a meal, β-cells in the pancreas releases insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose move from your bloodstream into your body’s cells, where it’s used as energy. This is how the food you eat gets converted into energy which lets you go by your daily activity. What happens during pregnancy: The placenta is an organ that connects the baby by the umbilical cord to the uterus. The placenta helps shift nutrients from the mother to the developing fetus. The placenta also produces several hormones which block the usual action of insulin to make sure your growing baby gets enough sugar. They work by stopping the action of insulin. This condition is called Insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a normal phenomenon emerging in the second trimester of pregnancy to ensure glucose supply to the growing fetus. This means that too much glucose remains in your blood instead of moving into the cells and getting converted to energy, raising your blood sugar. Modest elevation of blood sugar after meals is normal during pregnancy, but it should not be too high enough to cause diabetes. Due to this almost all women have some degree of impaired glucose intolerance. Due to Insulin resistance your body has to produce more insulin, upto three times the normal amount in order to keep the blood sugar levels normal. If your body is not able to produce the required amount of insulin. The blood sugar levels rise and this condition is called Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). It is still unclear why some women are not able to produce enough insulin needed to keep the blood-glucose levels in check. Gestational Diabetes usually sets in during the third trimester of pregnancy. Hence all women are usually screened for GDM during the 24th and 28th week. For some women GDM sets in as early as 20th week, But not always. For most women with gestational diabetes, the blood sugar returns to normal levels after the baby is born.