What Does It Mean To Have Low Blood Sugar During Pregnancy
Blood sugar, or glucose, is the body’s main source of energy. The body gets glucose primarily by metabolizing the carbohydrates in food. The hormone insulin helps move glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells, where it is used for energy.
But people with diabetes either don’t produce enough insulin or can’t use it effectively, according to the Mayo Clinic. Without sufficient insulin action, glucose builds up in the bloodstream, causing high blood sugar. As a result, many people with diabetes need to take medications to bring their blood sugar back to a healthy level. But taking too much of this medication can cause blood sugar levels to drop too low.
What Is Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar levels become high during pregnancy. It affects up to 10% of women who are pregnant in the U.S. each year. It affects pregnant women who havenât ever been diagnosed with diabetes.
There are two classes of gestational diabetes. Women with class A1 can manage it through diet and exercise. Those who have class A2 need to take insulin or other medications.
Gestational diabetes goes away after you give birth. But it can affect your babyâs health, and it raises your risk of getting type 2 diabetes later in life. You can take steps so you and your baby stay healthy.
Intro: Why Is Fiber Important For Blood Sugar Level Control
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Fiber is a vital nutrient for the human body. Fiber aids in weight-loss, reduced blood sugar, and maintain healthy and balanced bowel movements.
Fiber is necessary in maintaining a normal blood sugar levels because it manages insulin secretion in the body.
Fiber aids reduced blood sugar level degrees by decreasing the price at which food is absorbed right into your bloodstream, giving your pancreas time to launch insulin. It also aids you really feel fuller longer. Your intestine germs create short-chain fatty acids that are used by cells to create energy as well as do away with too much cholesterol out of the body through bile acids, which are created by fiber-rich foods.
Another factor fiber is important for blood glucose control is that it regulates hormones that contribute in cravings, hunger, and satiety. By regulating these hormones
Sorts of Fiber and also Their Health And Wellness Perkskeyword phrases: types of fiber, soluble vs. insoluble
Soluble fiber is a kind of dietary fibre that dissolves in water and also ends up being gel-like. Its recognized for its ability to reduced blood cholesterol as well as sugar degrees. Soluble fibers likewise help preserve bowel regularity as well as manage blood glucose degrees.
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Hypoglycemic Pregnancy: How To Spot The Symptoms
Pregnancy is an amazing thing but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of changes to your body such as extra stretch marks, swollen feet, and backache, all of which take time to adjust to.
Whilst you are busy growing a baby and watching your tummy get larger, one thing that may not be so noticeable is changes in your blood sugar levels. Throughout pregnancy, the placenta produces extra glucose to support fetal growth but as a result, your body makes more insulin to help control blood glucose levels.
Simultaneously, hormone changes within the body can cause your body to reduce its response to insulin. This is a natural process known as insulin resistance and it ensures that adequate amounts of glucose are being passed to your baby from your bloodstream.
When there isn’t enough insulin to move glucose out of your blood, it can cause your blood glucose levels to rise. This can lead to two different conditions, both of which are common during pregnancy: high blood sugar and gestational diabetes.
What isn’t so common and so well known, however, is the opposite of high blood sugar and that is hypoglycemia. In this article, we explain what the condition is, how it is caused, the symptoms to be on the lookout for and how it can be treated.
For more parenting and pregnancy advice, why not take a look at how to get rid of stretch marks after pregnancy or our guide to working while pregnant?
Diet And Exercise For Gestational Diabetes
Take these simple steps to stay healthy:
Eat a healthy, low-sugar diet. Talk to your doctor to be sure youâre getting the nutrition you need. Follow a meal plan made for someone with diabetes:
- Trade sugary snacks like cookies, candy, and ice cream for natural sugars like fruits, carrots, and raisins. Add vegetables and whole grains, and watch your portion sizes.
- Have three small meals along with two or three snacks about the same times every day.
- Get 40% of your daily calories from carbs and 20% from protein. Fifty percent of the carbs should be complex, high-fiber carbs, with fat being between 25% and 30%.
- Aim for 20-35 grams of fiber a day. Foods such as whole-grain breads, cereals, and pasta brown or wild rice oatmeal and vegetables and fruits will help get you there.
- Limit your total fat to less than 40% of your daily calories. Saturated fat should be less than 10% of all the fat you eat.
- Eat a variety of foods to make sure you get enough vitamins and minerals. You may need to take a supplement to cover your bases. Ask your doctor if they think you should take one.
Exercise throughout your pregnancy. You can exercise when you have gestational diabetes as long as your doctor says itâs OK. Being active is a good way to help manage your blood sugar. Staying fit during pregnancy is also good for your posture and can curb some common problems, like backaches and fatigue.
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What Causes Diabetes During Pregnancy
Some women have diabetes before they get pregnant. This is called pregestational diabetes. Other women may get a type of diabetes that only happens in pregnancy. This is called gestational diabetes. Pregnancy can change how a woman’s body uses glucose. This can make diabetes worse, or lead to gestational diabetes.
During pregnancy, an organ called the placenta gives a growing baby nutrients and oxygen. The placenta also makes hormones. In late pregnancy, the hormones estrogen, cortisol, and human placental lactogen can block insulin. When insulin is blocked, its called insulin resistance. Glucose can’t go into the bodys cells. The glucose stays in the blood and makes the blood sugar levels go up.
Tests For Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is diagnosed using blood tests. Youll probably be tested between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. If your risk is higher for getting gestational diabetes , your doctor may test you earlier. Blood sugar thats higher than normal early in your pregnancy may indicate you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes rather than gestational diabetes.
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What Are The Symptoms
As so much changes in a woman’s body during pregnancy, it can be hard to tell the difference between those that are a normal sign of growing a baby and those that should be of concern. You need to make sure you are taking good care of yourself from the start of your pregnancy right through to the third trimester, and whilst this might mean taking mid-afternoon naps or reducing strenuous activity, it also means taking care to notice any symptoms that could indicate hypoglycemia.
Low Blood Sugar Symptoms
There are a number of indications of hypoglycemia and whilst some can be similar to those normally experienced during pregnancy, there are others that can indicate you may need additional support and care throughout the rest of your pregnancy to reduce the risk of feeling unwell or further complications. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include:
Headache.
Tingling around the mouth.
Trouble thinking clearly.
To avoid hypoglycemia and, therefore, the above ailments, you should try to keep your blood sugar level consistent. Eating little and often can help with this, as can making sure that your meals include a balance of protein, carbohydrate, dairy, and fats. If you experience any of the aforementioned signs, you should find they disappear once your glucose levels are raised. If after eating, you do not find that they ease, then contact your doctor for advice.
Severe Hypoglycemia
Severe drowsiness.
Slurred speech.
Disorientation or irrationality.
Potential Complications
How Is Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Diagnosed
The American Diabetes Association recommends screening for undiagnosed type 2 diabetes at the first prenatal visit in women with diabetes risk factors. In pregnant women not known to have diabetes, GDM testing should be performed at 24 to 28 weeks of gestation.
In addition, women with diagnosed GDM should be screened for persistent diabetes 6 to 12 weeks postpartum. It is also recommended that women with a history of GDM undergo lifelong screening for the development of diabetes or prediabetes at least every three years.
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Risk Factors For Developing Diabetes During Pregnancy
There is an increased risk of diabetes during pregnancy if:
- The woman is overweight
- The woman is a smoker or around smokers more than average
- The woman is older
- There is a family history of diabetes
- The woman is from an ethnic minority
- There is previous history of the birth of a large baby
There is a routine antenatal test used to measure glucose levels in urine however it has been noted it is relatively unreliable for diagnosing diabetes.
Therefore blood sugar levels are checked between 26 and 30 weeks of gestation. This is done of two separate occasions using one of two tests, either the fasting glucose test or the random glucose test. In addition to this if there are any abnormal results of these tests or there is a family history of diabetes, or a woman is regarded as obese she will be offered a glucose tolerance test.
Often with gestational diabetes, the woman is advised to take a number of steps to change their diet and exercise habits to ensure the best possible pregnancy.
It is reportedly advisable to increase participation in low-impact activities such as walking, swimming, yoga and pilates. In addition to this it is advisable to eat regular meals watching the amount of fat being eaten, remembering it is controlling the amount of fat not cutting it out of the diet completely.
Also reducing the amount of salt in the diet and ensuring that plenty of fruit and vegetables are included in the diet.
Some Of The Reasons Might Include:
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What Is The Normal Blood Sugar Level For Seniors
We, humans, get our energy from food. Our body converts food into a sugar called glucose with the help of insulin and supplies the necessary energy required to continue our daily activities.
Is it okay to have a random level of blood glucose? No! Definitely not!
Blood sugar has also got an optimum level. What is it then? Thus, this is our topic today. Here in this article, I will give you a brief idea about the normal blood sugar levels in our body. But my main focus will be on the geriatric or older adult citizens as altered blood glucose level or diabetes is the most prevalent amongst them. So, let dig into the topic quickly!
Table of Content
What Is Low Blood Sugar Or Hypoglycemia During Pregnancy
Our body requires energy to function. The food we eat is converted to glucose, which is a type of sugar. This glucose that enters the bloodstream is converted into energy by a hormone called Insulin. The cells in our body use this energy to function.
Sometimes, it happens that there is not enough sugar available in the blood to be processed by the insulin hormone present in the body. When there is a scarcity of blood sugar, insulin cant convert it to energy. Now when our cells are not getting enough energy to function properly, it can lead to complications. This condition in which blood sugar level is lower than normal for the body to function properly is called hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.
Normal blood sugar range while fasting is between 70-100mg/dl for pregnant women. So a blood sugar level below 70mg/dl is considered low blood sugar during pregnancy.
How common is Hypoglycemia?
Hypoglycemia is more common in pregnant women and hence should not be ignored. At any time, a pregnant woman may experience low blood sugar, which has to be treated right away.
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How Is Diabetes During Pregnancy Diagnosed
Nearly all nondiabetic pregnant women are screened for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. A glucose screening test is given during this time. For the test, you drink a glucose drink and have your blood glucose levels tested after 2 hours.
If this test shows a high blood glucose level, a 3-hour glucose tolerance test will be done. If results of the second test are not normal, gestational diabetes is diagnosed.
Predictors Of Severe Hypoglycemia At Inclusion
Univariate analysis showed that women with severe hypoglycemia in pregnancy more often had previous severe hypoglycemia , diabetes duration > 10 years , impaired hypoglycemia awareness or unawareness , and SMPG readings outside the range of 4.09.9 mmol/l at week 8 .
Throughout pregnancy, there were no significant differences between women with and without severe hypoglycemia regarding the fraction of biochemical hypoglycemia, self-reported SMPG threshold for perception of warning symptoms, median SMPG, A1C, or other metabolic parameters . The drop in A1C from before gestation to week 8 among women with and without severe hypoglycemia was comparable .
Women experiencing severe hypoglycemia tended to report nausea or vomiting less frequently than women who did not experience severe hypoglycemia .
Multiple logistic regression analysis identified previous severe hypoglycemia and impaired hypoglycemia awareness or unawareness as independent predictors of severe hypoglycemia.
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Work With Your Health Care Team
Regular visits with members of a health care team who are experts in diabetes and pregnancy will ensure that you and your baby get the best care. Your health care team may include
- a medical doctor who specializes in diabetes care, such as an endocrinologist or a diabetologist
- an obstetrician with experience treating women with diabetes
- a diabetes educator who can help you manage your diabetes
- a nurse practitioner who provides prenatal care during your pregnancy
- a registered dietitian to help with meal planning
- specialists who diagnose and treat diabetes-related problems, such as vision problems, kidney disease, and heart disease
- a social worker or psychologist to help you cope with stress, worry, and the extra demands of pregnancy
You are the most important member of the team. Your health care team can give you expert advice, but you are the one who must manage your diabetes every day.
Predictors And Role Of Metabolic Control
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When To See A Doctor
If a persons blood sugar levels are high more than three times in a 2-week period without an apparent reason, the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases recommend that they seek medical help.
Any significant change in blood sugar patterns warrants a visit to a doctor. People with diabetes and those at risk of diabetes should also consult a doctor if:
- blood sugar levels become unusually high or low
- well-managed blood sugar levels are suddenly start fluctuating
- people have new or worsening symptoms of diabetes
- they change their medication or stop using it
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Advantages Of Insoluble Type Of Fibers
Insoluble fibers are primarily located in fruits, vegetables, as well as entire grains. They are not broken down by the body as well as instead offer us with important nutrients that we might not get elsewhere.
Insoluble fibers are crucial for keeping our stomach health. They can help reduce cholesterol levels, manage blood sugar level levels, and control appetite.
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Treatment For Reducing The Severity Of Hypoglycemia During Pregnancy
- In case of severe hypoglycemia, the patient will have to eat foods that are high in calories. Also, glucose tablets might aid in this cause. You have to eat at least 15 grams of carbs, which will normalize the blood sugar level within 15 minutes.
- If the patient is unable to eat or drink, then consult with the doctor as soon as possible.
- At the time of the labor or delivery, constant monitoring of the blood sugar is required.
- If a tumor is causing the hormonal changes for which the pregnant woman is suffering from hypoglycemia, then that tumor has to be removed before the delivery.