Symptoms of Diabetes During Pregnancy

Diabetes during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes. It is caused when the body does not absorb glucose. Often there are no symptoms and diagnosis occurs through routine screening at your regular visit to the obstetrician's office. However, sometimes symptoms can exist. Talk to your doctor if you experience any symptoms.

Increased Thirst

• Constantly feeling dehydrated can be a sign of high blood sugar. While being thirsty is normal, excessive thirst can be a symptom of diabetes.

Increased Urination

• Increased urination can be a symptom of gestational diabetes, however most often this is not the case. Many pregnant women experience frequent urination due to the extra fluid that the body creates to handle to pregnancy. Later in pregnancy increased urination can occur due to pressure on the bladder.

Blurred Vision

• High blood sugar can cause your eye lens to swell which blurs your vision. The vision impairment usually isn't permanent. As soon as blood sugar levels return to normal, the swelling should decrease.

Diagnosis

• Pregnant women should be screened for gestational diabetes when they are between 24 and 28 weeks pregnant.

Risk Factors

• Many women who have gestational diabetes do not have any risk factors. If a woman develops diabetes during pregnancy it can be controlled with a proper diet and exercise. In some cases blood sugar will need to be monitored on a daily basis and a woman may need to take insulin shots.