DON’T LET SUGAR MAKE YOUR PREGNANCY BITTER: Diabetes can affect your healthy pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a wholesome, sweet, and memorable experience in itself. You don’t need to add extra sweetness to it by adding excessive sugar to your diet, because with extra sweetness comes extra risk of having various health issues that are caused by diabetes.
Diabetes is an issue that can affect your healthy pregnancy and cause pregnancy complications such as stillbirth, birth defects, etc.
Now the question that comes to your mind is: how does diabetes affect your pregnancy? So, let’s get into this.
Diabetes types that can have an impact on your pregnancy stage include:
We’ve all heard of Type 1 diabetes (in which the body does not produce insulin, which helps blood sugar turn into energy for your body) and Type 2 diabetes (in which the body produces insulin but does not use it), but there’s also “gestational diabetes,” which develops during pregnancy.
How does diabetes affect both the mother and the baby during pregnancy?
Diabetes is basically a condition in which your body becomes unable to turn the sugar present in your blood into energy. Now, if there will be sugar in your blood, then it’s no surprise that diabetes affects your baby, who’s going to be in your womb for nine months.
When you have diabetes, sugar stays in your blood and is not used as energy, causing your blood sugar to rise.
High blood sugar levels can cause miscarriage, an increased risk of birth defects, and other pregnancy complications during the first few months of pregnancy.
It also increases a woman’s chances of having a cesarean delivery (C-Section) and a baby’s risk of developing obesity or diabetes later in life.
Diabetes management for women at various stages of life
Before Pregnancy
Very few people understand the significance of consulting a doctor before pregnancy to determine if you have diabetes and, if so, how to manage it so that it does not interfere with your healthy pregnancy.
During Pregnancy
Diabetes management is critical for a safe and healthy pregnancy and baby. If you have diabetes while pregnant, your doctor will create a proper diet plan for you, monitor your blood sugar levels, advise you to be physically active, and, if necessary, they’ll even put you on insulin medication.
After Pregnancy
It’s critical to get tested for diabetes within 4 to 12 weeks of giving birth because some women are prone to gestational diabetes (diabetes that develop during pregnancy) and having gestational diabetes increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. To make sure that your blood sugar levels are in a healthy range, you should get checked every 1 to 2 years.
WAYS TO MANAGE & PREVENT DIABETES DURING PREGNANCY:
– Limit your intake of sugary foods (such as sweets, potatoes, and beverages);
– Obesity is the leading cause of diabetes, so avoid being obese and achieve a healthy weight;
– Don’t be a couch potato; an inactive lifestyle also contributes to diabetes, so get up and be physically active.
– A healthy and well-balanced diet is the key to preventing diabetes. A diet that includes fresh vegetables and fruits and has a limited amount of fat and calories is the best option to prevent diabetes.
For more information on diabetes during pregnancy or expert consultation, you can consult the best gynaecologists in Central India at Pahlajanis’ Women’s Hospital & IVF Centre.
