Hormones that disrupt the action of insulin
the diabetes gestational usually appears during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. It is often associated with significant weight gain. What is its origin ? The production by the placenta of a large amount of hormones. However, these hormones will disrupt the action of insulin, the role of which is to regulate the level of sugar in the blood. It allows sugar to “enter cells to be transformed into energy or to be stored there”, write Dr. Valérie Foussier and Dr. Patrick Tubiana in “Diabète et Grossesse” (ed. J. Lyon).
The risks of gestational diabetes
For the mother, there is an increased risk of preeclampsia and cesarean. Preeclampsia is also called toxemia of pregnancy. It is characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of albumin in the urine. It can cause serious complications for both mother and baby.
For babies, the main consequence of gestational diabetes is macrosomia. That is to say, he will have a heavy birth weight, which may complicate the delivery.
A generally ephemeral pathology
Gestational diabetes will most often disappear when the baby is born. However, there is a risk of recurrence in future pregnancies. When you have gestational diabetes, you also have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. They are multiplied by 7, according to the National College of French Gynecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF). It also happens that pregnancy reveals type 2 diabetes which was hitherto unrecognized. It is because diabetes is a disease that remains silent for a long time. In this case, the diabetes will last after birth.
