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Gestational diabetes
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Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that shows up only during pregnancy. That detail, that it belongs to this period alone, is what sets it apart from the others.
What happens inside starts with a normal change. During pregnancy the body makes hormones and goes through other changes that leave its cells responding poorly to insulin, the substance that lets sugar in the blood get into the cells. That situation is called insulin resistance.
And here is what matters. Every pregnant woman has some of that resistance late in pregnancy. Most make up for it by producing more insulin, and everything continues on its course. Gestational diabetes appears in the women who cannot make that extra insulin. Seen this way, it is not that the body did something strange, but that the demand rose beyond the capacity to answer it.
In brief
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs only during pregnancy.
During that time the body makes hormones and goes through other changes that keep its cells from using insulin well, a condition called insulin resistance.
Every pregnant woman has some insulin resistance in late pregnancy, and most can produce enough insulin to overcome it; gestational diabetes appears in women who cannot make that extra insulin.
Sources (2)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesGestational Diabetes
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesSymptoms & Causes of Gestational Diabetes
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated