Diabetes (Diabetes and Vision Problems) has never been as big of an epidemic as it is in society these days. In the past, a majority of people often thought of diabetes as a health condition where you must simply reduce your sugar and fat intake on a daily basis. Little did they know that diabetes may end up actually causing serious health concerns like blindness without closely monitoring it!
Being pregnant can be exciting, but it’s crucial to make sure you’re getting the medical attention you need for both your health and the health of your new child. That includes keeping a close eye out for diabetes symptoms – even if you didn’t have this disease before getting pregnant.
Whether you’ve been managing diabetes for years or haven’t given much thought to this condition before now, it’s a good idea to know the basics of diabetes and pregnancy. Here, you’ll find our complete guide to this topic.
First of all, you’ll want to know the differences between pregestational diabetes and gestational diabetes:
Though you may not have heard about “pregestational diabetes” before, you’re already familiar with this concept. That’s because pregestational diabetes is simply any type of diabetes that occurs before pregnancy. This category can include type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and prediabetes that later developed into type 2 diabetes.
By definition, if you had pregestational diabetes, it was already diagnosed before your pregnancy. As a result, there’s a good chance that you already have some idea of how to manage whatever type of diabetes you have.
Gestational diabetes is unique in that it has no actual telltale symptoms. In fact, most women who develop gestational diabetes exhibit no symptoms at all. While it is possible to experience symptoms like excessive hunger, high levels of thirst and a frequent need to urinate due to gestational diabetes, you won’t need to rely on these symptoms to get a diagnosis. All pregnant women receive testing for gestational diabetes between their 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy.
Regardless of what type of diabetes you have, you’ll need to pay close attention to your blood glucose levels while you’re pregnant. Blood sugar control is always a priority for people with diabetes, but it’s even more essential during pregnancy for several reasons.
When you’re pregnant, you don’t just have to manage your own health – you also need to take steps to protect the health of your unborn baby. That includes diabetes management since uncontrolled blood sugar can impact your child’s well-being, too. In the first trimester of your pregnancy, elevated blood sugar levels due to type 1 or type 2 diabetes can lead to higher congenital disability and miscarriage risks. (Gestational diabetes isn’t a concern at this point since it develops at a later point in pregnancy.)
In later months, high blood sugar levels may result in fetal macrosomia – that is, giving birth to a larger-than-average baby. That can cause additional problems down the road, possibly including shoulder dystocia and fractures. You might also need a C-section in this scenario. Home delivery isn’t generally recommended for pregnant women with diabetes because of the risks mentioned above.
If you aren’t pregnant but have pregestational diabetes, the best way to lower your chances of diabetes-related pregnancy problems is to use contraception and get your blood sugar under control for three to six months before conceiving. If you use oral agents for diabetes control, discuss with your physician about switching to insulin – some oral agents are contraindicated in pregnancy.
It’s essential to take the risks posed by pregestational and gestational diabetes seriously. Still, some simple steps can reduce your risk of diabetes-related pregnancy complications:
At the heart of any blood sugar management strategy is an understanding of your blood glucose levels. Use a reliable blood glucose meter to check your blood sugar regularly. Your healthcare team will help you find your blood sugar targets, but target levels that are common for pregnant women with preexisting or gestational diabetes include:
When you’re pregnant, the usual advice for building a diabetes diet still applies. Some of the most common tips are eating a balanced selection of nutritious foods, controlling your portion sizes, watching your salt intake and avoiding processed grains, fats, oils, and sweets.
However, you’ll also need to remember that you will need more calories a day while pregnant. The recommended requirements are to increase calories by at least 300 calories plus per day between the fourth and ninth months of pregnancy. Pregnant women have a recommended daily caloric total of about 2,200 to 2500 calories per day. See a Registered Dietitian to plan your diet.
While you’re pregnant, it’s a good idea to get between 40 and 50 percent of your daily calories from healthy, complex carbohydrates. If you eat too many carbs, blood sugar management will become more complex, but not getting enough carbs can also cause problems. Eat fresh vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy products and high fiber foods.
There is good evidence showing that in gestational diabetes cases, the women affected by this type of diabetes can control their condition solely through lifestyle changes. Regular exercise is a highly effective way to lower your blood sugar, so try to get moderate physical activity most days without overdoing it.
You may not be able to manage gestational diabetes on your own, or you may need medications to control type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Discuss your options with your healthcare team. Either way, insulin is the most common medication for pregnant women with diabetes, but other options include glyburide and metformin.
Unlike type 1 and type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes isn’t permanent. Most women with gestational diabetes find that this disease goes away after their pregnancy, but you’ll need to get a blood sugar test from your doctor to be sure. This test usually happens between six and twelve weeks after you give birth.
But even if your gestational diabetes disappears, you’ll need to monitor your diabetes risk in the future. About 50 percent of all women who develop gestational diabetes are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 5 to 10 years after pregnancy. It is recommended to reach a healthy body weight after delivery. And it means you’ll need a diabetes risk assessment every one to three years depending on the results of your assessment. It may be inconvenient, but it will help you ensure your blood glucose levels stay where they should be.
Whether you need diabetes supplies for a few months or the rest of your life, you shouldn’t order them from just any company. ADS can help you get all the diabetes supplies you need at an affordable price – not to mention our unmatched customer service. Start shopping for our blood glucose meters, insulin, and other supplies today!
There are certain foods (Pumpkins for Diabetes) that can be associated with seasons. With the fall season here and the holidays will be soon arriving, the fruit pumpkin comes to mind. Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico dating back to 7000 to 5500 B.C. References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for “large melon” which is “pepon.” “Pepon” was changed by the French into “pompon.” The English changed “pompon” to “Pumpion.” American colonists changed “pumpion” into “pumpkin.” Native Americans dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. They also roasted long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and ate them. The origin of pumpkin pie occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and then filled the insides with milk, spices and honey which was then baked in hot ashes of a dying fire.
An individual who is lactose intolerant is not able to fully digest the milk sugar called lactose, in dairy products. Lactose intolerance occurs when the body is unable to breakdown all of the lactose that is found in the foods you eat. Lactose intolerance is also called lactase deficiency – an enzyme produced by the cells lining the small intestine. There are individuals that have low levels of lactase that experience no signs and symptoms of this condition and there are others that do experience signs and symptoms usually after eating or drinking foods that contain lactose. Symptoms can include diarrhea, gas, nausea, bloating, and stomach cramps. These symptoms can be controlled by choosing a balanced diet plan that carefully limits dairy products.
Having diabetes does not mean that you must stop eating snacks. It does mean that you should know what a snack can do to your blood sugar. You also need to know what healthy snacks are. The best snacks (Diabetic Snack Ideas) for type 2 diabetes have no added sugar and combine protein and healthy fats with high–quality carbohydrates which is an ideal mix for keeping hunger at bay and blood sugar levels consistent. Snacks with no carbohydrates change your blood sugar & glucose tests the least. The healthiest snacks usually do not have many calories.
Cats are one of the most popular pets in American homes these days. They’re very loving pets and capable of providing you with years of companionship. Just like any other animal or pet for that matter, cats sometimes get sick (Diabetes in Animals). There are several different types of ailments that cats get and one of those is diabetes. Yes, cats can also have diabetes. Also known as “Feline diabetes”, but Diabetes nonetheless is a serious disease in cats just as it is in humans, although it can be treated by a veterinarian.
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar (glucose), starches and other food into energy that we need to live our daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a puzzle, although researchers know that both genetics and factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play vital roles.
Although you’d like to forget about your diabetes while you’re on vacation, you actually need to spend a little bit of extra time making sure that you stay healthy while you’re traveling (Traveling with Diabetes Supplies).
Healthy eating has never been easier, thanks to the food nutrition label. Most foods in the grocery store have a nutrition label and an ingredient list(How to Read Food Labels). Claims like “low cholesterol” and “fat-free” can be used only on a label if a food meets legal standards set by the government.
Reading the nutrition label can help you choose foods that make up a healthful diet. Eating a healthful diet can help reduce your risk factors for certain diseases. For example, too much-saturated fat and cholesterol can possibly raise blood cholesterol (a risk factor for heart disease). Too much sodium may be linked to high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke. Being healthy daily is up to you. In addition to eating a balanced, nutritious diet daily also stay active, do not smoke, and watch your weight.
Here is a chart that provides some keywords and health claims on product labels, and what they mean as defined by the government.
For example:
| If a food claims to be… | It means that one serving of the product contains… |
| Calorie free | Less than 5 calories |
| Sugar free | Less than 0.5 grams of sugar |
| Fat | |
| Fat free | Less than 0.5 grams of fat |
| Low fat | 3 grams of fat or less |
| Reduced fat or less fat | At least 25 percent less fat than the regular product |
| Low in saturated fat | 1 gram of saturated fat or less, with not more than 15 percent of the calories coming from saturated fat |
| Lean | Less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol |
| Extra lean | Less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol |
| Light (lite) | At least one-third fewer calories or no more than half the fat of the regular product, or no more than half the sodium of the regular product |
| Cholesterol | |
| Cholesterol free | Less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams (or less) of saturated fat |
| Low cholesterol | 20 or fewer milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat |
| Reduced cholesterol | At least 25 percent less cholesterol than the regular product and 2 grams or less of saturated fat |
| Sodium | |
| Sodium free or no sodium | Less than 5 milligrams of sodium and no sodium chloride in ingredients |
| Very low sodium | 35 milligrams or less of sodium |
| Low sodium | 140 milligrams or less of sodium |
| Reduced or less sodium | At least 25 percent less sodium than the regular product |
| Fiber | |
| High fiber | 5 grams or more of fiber |
| Good source of fiber | 2.5 to 4.9 grams of fiber |
If you can’t remember the definitions of all of the terms, use these general guidelines instead:
Here are a few more tips for getting as much health information as possible from the Nutrition Facts label:
