• Gestational Diabetes
• Preeclampsia
• Preterm Labor
• Post-term Pregnancy
• Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)
• Polyhydramnios
• Oligohydramnios
• Placenta abruption and previa
• Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS)

10 things to know about Gestational Diabetes

1. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes (high glucose in blood) that occurs only during pregnancy.
2. After a meal, your body breaks down carbohydrates into simple sugar called glucose, the main energy source. Normally your body produces insulin to carry glucose into the cell for energy. During pregnancy, the placenta produces hormones that prevent insulin from doing its job. As your pregnancy progresses, the body is unable to keep up with enough insulin production, resulting in little glucose getting into the cells for energy and too much staying in the blood. This is gestational diabetes. After the placenta is delivered, the hormones disappear from the bloodstream and the glucose level quickly return to normal.
3. Women at risk for gestational diabetes include:
   • Older than 25 years old
   • Family history of diabetes
   • Overweight
   • Latinos, American Indian, and African American
   • Previous unexplained stillbirth or delivery of infant greater than 9 pounds
   • Many have no known risk factors
4. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends glucose screening test between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy or earlier if a woman is at risk. If glucose level is above 140 mg/dL, a second test 3-hour Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) is recommended. If two or more of the readings are abnormal, Gestational Diabetes is diagnosed. Follow up with your doctor for plan of treatment is essential to prevent complications.
5. Women with uncontrolled gestational diabetes are at risk for
• Having a large baby which are at risk for birth injuries and low blood sugar at birth
• Cesarean delivery
• Stillbirth
• Prematurity
• Developing preecclampsia
• Developing gestational diabetes in subsequent pregnancies
• Developing Type 2 diabetes later in life
6. Gestational diabetes can be controlled by diet and exercise alone or with insulin. Signs of gestational diabetes may include unusual thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, nausea, blurred vision, and frequent infections of bladder, vagina and skin.
7. Glucose testing at home is done 4 times a day with insulin use and less with diet control.
8. Insulin need usually increase during pregnancy and most do not need insulin after delivery.
9. Do Kick Count and follow up with your doctor, ultrasound, non stress test (NST), and biophysical profile (BPP).
10. Most doctors initiate plan for delivery by 40 weeks to prevent risks of complications