Hypoglycemia and Hyperglycemia Pregnancy Risks
Pregnant women with diabetes often give birth to big children, sometimes experiencing a difficult birth with risk of hypoglycemia for the child, especially in the first hours or days of life. Most times, this hypoglycemia remains without consequences for the child’s health. You should know that glucose passes through the placenta, but not the insulin.
If the mother has hyperglycemia (high blood sugar level) the child also will develop hyperglycemia, and a low production of insulin. That does not mean that the baby is diabetic. The insulin produced by the pancreas determines the baby’s weight gain by storing sugar as fat, therefore causing the risk of high weight at birth.
At birth, the infant can produce a lot of insulin, but not enough for the sugar intake from the mother, hence the risk of hypoglycemia occurring at birth.
– Malformations, particularly heart disease are more common in babies born to mothers whose diabetes is not balanced during pregnancy.
– Polihidraminosis (which is not specific to women with diabetes, but is common), refers to an increase in amniotic fluid. This excess causes a distension of the uterus and amniotic sac, increasing the risk of premature birth by membranes rupture. This is identified during ultrasound, or when measuring the height of the bottom uterine.
– Fetal distress in late pregnancy is followed by monitoring.
Diabetes mellitus is associated with induction (usually 3 weeks before term) and therefore breathing difficulties may occur at birth due to the lack of lung maturation.
Risks in hypo and hyperglycemia pregnancy
The risks of hypoglycemia appear to be less known but equally dangerous. The goal is to have a level of glucose as constant as possible.
Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are inevitable, so all pregnant women with diabetes can do is to avoid these conditions as much as possible and when they occur, to try to combat them quickly.
The risk of having a child with type 1 diabetes in a mother with type 1 diabetes is approximately 3% compared to 0.3% when both parents are not diagnosed with diabetes type 1.
The risk of giving birth to a type 2 diabetes child for a mother with type 2 diabetes is about 30%. Finally, mothers with gestational diabetes should be monitored and tracked both during pregnancy and after birth, because type 2 diabetes is likely to occur in long term.
There are two main cases when hyperglycemia and diabetes interferes in the course of pregnancy:
1. The first is related to a woman’s pregnancy already known as diabetic.
2. Second – the occurrence of disorders in carbohydrate metabolism, manifested by hyperglycemia in non-diabetic pregnant person until the pregnancy.
The growing frequency of people affected by diabetes requires that all pregnant women should be investigated in terms of blood sugar. An unknown and untreated diabetic woman may be at risk of losing the pregnancy, having a child with birth defects or have accidents during birth.
In addition, diabetes mellitus during pregnancy can lead to a number of high risks for the mother’s pregnancy and health. Pregnant women with diabetes should be monitored, treated and investigated, both clinically and laboratory for renal and cardiovascular function. Diabetic pregnant women should also have eye exams and be subjected to a hygienic and dietetic diet able to maintain normal health and body weight limits.
