Gestational Diabetes Treatment
Gestational Diabetes treatment will vary according to your needs, but can include any or all of the following:
Blood
Sugar Monitoring
Your care provider may ask you to check your blood sugar level four to five times a day with a glucose monitor. Your health care provider will also monitor your blood sugar level during labor. If it is too high, your baby is at risk of hypoglycemia at birth.
Diet
Diet is one of the best ways to control your blood sugar level. This often means more fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods that are high in nutrition and low in fat and calories and fewer animal products and sweets. Diet-controlled GD makes you essentially a typical pregnant patient with no increased risks, so it pays to see a dietician and get the best possible nutritional plan for your height, weight and nutritional needs.
Exercise
Exercise lowers your blood sugar level by using sugar for energy and increases your sensitivity to insulin, which makes the process more efficient. Exercise also helps prepare you for birthing and relieves the woes of pregnancy and difficulty sleeping. Walking, biking, swimming, housework and gardening are all good ways to exercise.
Medication
Medication is the last gestational diabetes treatment option. If your sugars aren’t well-controlled, insulin injections, oral medications, or a combination of both may be needed. Glyburide may be prescribed as an option.
References
Tuffnell DJ, West J, Walkinshaw SA. Treatments for gestational diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2003, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD003395. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003395.
Boulvain M, Stan C, Irion O. Elective delivery in diabetic pregnant women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2001, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD001997. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001997.
Farrar D, Tuffnell DJ, West J. Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion versus multiple daily injections of insulin for pregnant women with diabetes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD005542. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005542.pub2.
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