Risks of Gestational Diabetes

Pregnancy poses a great number of risks to women everywhere. One common risk is gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is diabetes that starts or occurs during pregnancy. This condition affects between 1 and 3 percent of all pregnant women.

When gestational diabetes occurs, it develops in the second trimester, sometimes as early as the 20th week of pregnancy. In the majority of cases, gestational diabetes goes away once the baby has been born but it can still be a warning that diabetes is not far off in the future.

In gestational diabetes, like regular diabetes, the body is unable to use the sugar in the blood as well as it should. As a result, the blood sugar level goes way up. This can be dangerous for both the mother and the baby. If gestational diabetes is not treated and kept under control, the baby becomes more likely to have problems. For example, the baby might weigh much more than ordinary babies, have a low blood sugar level, or have jaundice.

Gestational diabetes also poses a risk to the mother’s health. Because the baby can weigh so much more and be so much bigger than babies born to mothers without gestational diabetes, the delivery may be extremely difficult or a c-section may be required. The chances of developing preeclampsia also increase significantly.

Because of the risks to both the mother and baby, it is extremely important that the doctors treating both before and during pregnancy diagnose and treat gestational diabetes. After pregnancy, it is important to check that the diabetes disappears and that it doesn’t reappear as full diabetes later.

Contact a Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice Attorney

If you or your baby have been harmed due to a doctor’s failure to diagnose gestational diabetes or perform a c-section for a large baby, contact the Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. today at 610-667-7511.