Question

What are the symptoms of gestational diabetes during pregnancy?

Answer

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that appears during pregnancy. It differs from diabetes that exists before pregnancy, which is known as diabetes complicating pregnancy. Gestational diabetes typically appears in the middle to late stages of pregnancy. Here are the symptoms that may be present in pregnant women who are at risk for diabetes and are undergoing initial prenatal check-ups:

  1. Family history of diabetes.
  2. Weight over 20% above the ideal body weight.
  3. Delivery of a baby weighing over 4500 grams.
  4. History of unexplained miscarriage or stillbirth.
  5. Abnormalities in the fetus.
  6. Unexplained neonatal death.
  7. Polyhydramnios (excess amniotic fluid).
  8. Urine glucose positivity. According to the World Health Organization’s standards, individuals are diagnosed with diabetes if their fasting blood glucose is ≥7.0 mmol/L, or if the glucose tolerance test peak is ≥11.1 mmol/L after consuming 75 grams of glucose. For gestational diabetes, the diagnosis should be made using a 100-gram glucose test, with levels of ≥10.55 mmol/L at 1 hour, ≥9.16 mmol/L at 2 hours, or ≥8.05 mmol/L at 3 hours to confirm gestational diabetes. During pregnancy, due to different criteria used, the prevalence of gestational diabetes is quite high.