Gestational Diabetes – What you need to know!
May 7, 2021, 2:28 PM
Understanding Gestational Diabetes by Caroline Hoggenmueller, Obstetrician & Gynaecologist at Northpark Private Hospital. Diabetes is a condition where too much blood glucose is travelling through the blood stream. The hormone insulin moves glucose or sugar from your blood and into your body’s cells, where it is used for energy. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes which only occurs in pregnancy and affects 12-15% of all pregnant women in Australia. In pregnancy, hormones produced by the placenta, which help your baby to thrive, make it harder for your body’s insulin to work properly. This condition is called insulin resistance. Gestational diabetes then develops when your body is unable to cope with the extra demand for insulin production, which results in high blood glucose levels.