Diabetes Mellitus and Pregnancy

Diabetes Mellitus

During normal pregnancy metabolic adaptations occur, aimed at correcting the imbalance that occurs when you need a higher nutritional content to the fetus. One of these imbalances is that the body needs a greater amount of insulin to require a greater use of glucose.

A proof of this change is experienced by all pregnant women, who usually notice the morning the unpleasant symptoms of hypoglycemia: nausea, drowsiness, tiredness, weakness, etc.

Screening for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)

The data suggest the possibility of DMG are:

* Family history of diabetes, especially among first-degree relatives.
* Glycosuria (glucose in urine) in a second fasting urine sample (see below).
• A history of:

* Abortions unexplained.
* Infants large for gestational age.
* Malformations in the newborn.

* Important maternal obesity (90 kg and above).

Some minor data are multiparity, toxemia of pregnancy and premature births appellant repeated.

The presence of more than one data increases the probability of a disorder in glucose metabolism.

Glycosuria (glucose in urine) is a common finding, as 15% of pregnant women have it, so the search for cases based on this information alone is ineffective. The validity of this test can be increased when using a second urine sample Fasting urine issued upon awakening is neglected and collected a second sample 15 minutes later when the patient is still fasting.

Suspected cases of GDM should be seen every 15 days by the endocrinologist, working together he and the obstetrician. It should take the usual prenatal measures. It should place special emphasis on weight control.

At each visit, you should have a blood sugar after eating. If this test does not exceed 120 mg / dl), evidence of oral glucose tolerance should be deferred until the 37 th -38 th weeks of gestation, at which time more likely to give positive. If at any visit after eating glucose exceeds 120 mg / dl, should be tested for glucose tolerance without delay.

If the test is negative in early pregnancy does not, however, the diagnosis and the test should be repeated at 37-38 weeks, before making a final decision.

Patients who have a negative tolerance test at 37-38 weeks is considered normal.

If the test is positive you can make the diagnosis of gestational diabetes and gives the patient a diet and was controlled in the same way as a diabetic clinic.

If the ideal criteria for glycemic control are not achieved soon, you start taking insulin. Where well-controlled and uncomplicated spontaneous delivery is expected.

The existence of an increased need for insulin during pregnancy does not necessarily indicate that the diabetes persists after delivery.

As pregnancy progresses, the metabolic adaptation intensifies, reaching great importance during the last 20 weeks of pregnancy.

All these metabolic changes lead to a number of considerations when they occur in a diabetic woman:

* In some patients, Diabetes first appears during pregnancy.
* The conventional criteria for diagnosing diabetes are not applicable during pregnancy
* As pregnancy progresses there is an increase in insulin requirements.
* The usual criteria of strict metabolic control are not applicable during pregnancy

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