Gestational Diabetes – Follow Up After Pregnancy

Gestational diabetes is a pregnancy complication that is given very special attention throughout a woman’s entire pregnancy. This complication affects a woman’s blood sugar and can lead to serious issues with her growing baby’s health and development, as well as with the mother’s health. Women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes will be closely monitored with frequent blood and urine tests to effectively measure the mother’s glucose levels. Once a woman gives birth, it is important to follow up with your woman’s healthcare provider.

Women who had gestational diabetes are at a much greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes within the following decade of giving birth. Women who have had gestational diabetes with one pregnancy are also more likely to develop this same complication during future pregnancies. Current recommendations from physicians and OB-GYN providers recommend that women undergo a 2-hour glucose challenge between 6-12 weeks after they deliver. If that test is normal, women are recommended to undergo a fasting glucose test at least every three years. Of course, if a woman becomes pregnant before the three years suggested, she should be carefully monitored throughout her consecutive pregnancies.

Controlling weight gain after giving birth, following a healthy and balanced diet, and exercising regularly may help post-partum women from developing type 2 diabetes and may help reduce the risk of developing gestational diabetes in their next pregnancy. Some women will have trouble maintaining an appropriate glucose level after giving birth, and will need careful observation until they are either released from the possibility of developing type 2 diabetes or they are diagnosed with this disease.

At Marietta OB-GYN Affiliates, P.A., we provide outstanding obstetrical care and women’s health care. If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes during your pregnancy, you will receive the highest level of care by our providers during and after your delivery. You are not simply a patient. You are a woman whose health care needs far extend nine months of pregnancy. Please contact our practice today to schedule an appointment. We look forward to providing the most complete and most compassionate care.