Gestational Diabetes

[sage1]

Has anyone else had gestational diabetes ?? I've read articles saying uncontrollable sugar levels can lead to pre-eclampsia ... I was going to be checked in a couple of weeks for GD but was hit with severe pre - e first and when in the hospital was given a steroid shot for babys lungs, then they said it can interfer with sugar levels so it was unsure if I had it in the first place ? Now in this pregnancy they say I am so I'm trying to follow the diet and using insulin ... I feel different this time around I feel up and down sickness and weak. My first pregnancy I did not feel like this ??

[angieb]

It is not that uncontrollable sugar levels can lead to preeclampsia, in gestational diabetes, there is something funky going on with the placenta, in preeclampsia there is something funky going on with the placenta, so it isn't uncommon for women to have both, or to later get preeclampsia if they have gestational diabetes, to put it as simply as possible. (I know we have posts that go much more in depth on what happens with the placenta for both, but that's pretty much the very very basics of it because I don't remember the specifics off the top of my head.)

Anyway, in my first pregnancy, we are pretty positive I did not have gestational diabetes (no signs of it at all)- but I delivered at 23 weeks so I never made it to the glucose test. In my second pregnancy, I failed the one hour and opted to skip the three hour and just pretend I had GD, so not really sure if I would have passed the 3 hour or not, but my blood sugars were relatively easily controlled (I could even eat Olive Garden), except for my morning fasting numbers were usually borderline (like 90-95ish). I did not develop preeclampsia but DS was 7lb 4 oz at 36+2 so it's possible I would have gotten preeclampsia if we didn't deliver when we did (we delivered due to my prior incision- not symptoms or anything.)

They did give me steroids for DS and were concerned about them messing with my sugars but my blood sugar stayed pretty stable for the most part anyway.

[sage1]

Yes my mistake It says " women with gestational diabetes also can develop preeclampsia " a potentially serious condition that is more common in women with gestational diabetes .. and are higher risk for pre e ... But then again there are thousands of women with GD that have pre e free pregnancies ?!

What a testimony you have I'm glad to hear it gives me hope now, I have 11 weeks to go and my anxiety is building !

[lisa112]

I had GD in my pregnancy and was able to control my sugars through diet, however the weekend prior to developing severe PE/HELLP my sugar levels were high. I was diagnosed with GD around 25 weeks. It was my first pregnancy and ended up having to deliver at 30 weeks. I often wonder about the connection between the two even though my ob told me that the GD did not cause the PE/HELLP.

[lisa112]

I had GD in my pregnancy and was able to control my sugars through diet, however the weekend prior to developing severe PE/HELLP my sugar levels were high. I was diagnosed with GD around 25 weeks. It was my first pregnancy and ended up having to deliver at 30 weeks. I often wonder about the connection between the two even though my ob told me that the GD did not cause the PE/HELLP.