How does gestational diabetes affect the health of pregnant women and babies?

Posted by Specialist I Tran Thi Thu Ha - Obstetrician and Gynecologist - Women's Health Center - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

Gestational diabetes is a common condition that many pregnant women face today. Gestational diabetes, if not controlled in time, can seriously affect the health of both mother and fetus.

Gestational diabetes or gestational diabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels rise during pregnancy. This is a very dangerous disease for mother and fetus.
Gestational diabetes can lead to a number of dangerous complications for the newborn such as:
The fetus grows larger than normal: It is caused by the increased amount of glucose in the mother's blood, which is passed on to the baby, causing Your baby's pancreas will have to work harder to produce insulin to convert that glucose into energy. As a result, your body will absorb more energy than it needs. Excess energy will cause the fetus to grow too large (macrosomia syndrome). Difficult delivery process such as: Birth trauma (collapsed collarbone, cervical vertebrae) due to fetal enlargement and perinatal asphyxia Respiratory distress syndrome due to surfactan inactivation, delayed pulmonary fluid digestion Children at risk Sudden hypoglycemia after birth, jaundice, cardiomyopathy.

For pregnant women with poorly controlled diabetes, the risk of a baby being born with a birth defect is about 6-10%; twice the rate when the mother's diabetes is well controlled. Some of the birth defects involved include spinal cord defects (spina bifida), heart defects, bone malformations, and defects in the urinary, reproductive, and digestive systems.

Gestational diabetes can lead to a number of dangerous complications for the mother as follows:
Common pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, eclampsia 4 times higher than normal, infection, infection urinary tract, postpartum haemorrhage, ... can cause death for pregnant women. Hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. Coma due to hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia Retinopathy: due to damage to the retinal vessel wall Diabetic kidney disease Atherosclerosis Difficulty giving birth: The mother's blood sugar will be passed on to the baby, causing the baby's pancreas work harder than usual to produce more insulin. This leads to your baby's upper body – shoulders growing rapidly during pregnancy. In some cases, fractures can be caused by broad shoulders or brain damage during childbirth. Premature birth, miscarriage, stillbirth, polyhydramnios, and rupture of membranes are dangerous to mother and baby.

In the mother, it is normal for blood sugar levels to return to a safe range after delivery. However, if not diagnosed and treated promptly, gestational diabetes is still potentially dangerous before, during and after delivery.
Right from the first days of antenatal care or pregnant women who have not had or are at risk of gestational diabetes can perform gestational diabetes screening to be assessed by doctors for risk assessment and diabetes control. pregnant women have a healthy pregnancy, easy childbirth.
Maternity package program at Vinmec International General Hospital helps customers complete the antenatal check-ups and necessary tests during pregnancy, including screening tests for gestational diabetes. Customers registered for Maternity Package are fully cared for and checked for health of mother and baby before birth - during childbirth and after birth, fully and conscientiously.