How to Avoid Gestational Diabetes - Part1 Determining Your Risk Factors

Gestational diabetes mellitus, sometimes also referred to as (GDM), is a potentially serious condition that develops during pregnancy. Basically defined, gestational diabetes affects how the mother's body produces and uses insulin to control her blood sugar levels which can be harmful to both her and the baby. The good news is that GDM is can be prevented, or your risk for developing it at least minimized. There are no guarantees, but the more healthy habits you adopt before and during your pregnancy, the better you and baby will be.

Part1 Determining Your Risk Factors

1 Get a family history. The first step in preventing GDM is determining your risk factors for developing it. If it turns out that you are at high risk, then you and your doctor take steps towards lowering your risk and keeping you and the baby healthy.

• Before talking with your immediate relatives about their diabetic history, it might help to know the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, is an autoimmune disorder, whereas type 2 diabetes is closely tied to lifestyle and eating habits.
• Your risk of developing gestational diabetes increases if a close family member, such as a parent or sibling, has type 2 diabetes. Talk to your family to see if this applies to you.

2 Determine your other risk factors. Besides heredity, there are a number of other risk factors in that you should think about and bring to your doctor’s attention.These include:

• Being Hispanic, African-American, Native American, Asian American, or Pacific Islander.
• Being overweight before your pregnancy.
• Being 25 years of age or older.
• If you developed GDM in a previous pregnancy.
• If you previously had large baby (9 pounds or more) or a stillbirth.
• If you had abnormal blood sugar tests before, including glycosuria (sugar in your urine).
• A history of polycystic ovarian syndrome.

3 Make a pregnancy plan. There are steps you can take even before you become pregnant to manage your risk for developing GDM. Consult with your doctor before you get pregnant and ask them to help you put together a pregnancy plan to help prepare your physically, mentally, and emotionally.

• Have your blood sugar tested as early as 3 months before you plan to become pregnant in order to establish your baseline levels and to if you fall in a normal range.
• Plan to lose any excess weight before pregnancy. Weight loss is not advised during pregnancy, so if you are overweight and concerned about this increasing your risk for GDM, try to lose the extra weight (between 5% to 7% of your body weight if you are overweight) before you become pregnant.