What Happens If Your Blood Sugar Is Too High In Pregnancy

Either hyperglycemia too high or hypoglycemia too low blood sugar during pregnancy is dangerous both for mother and her baby.
What happens if your blood sugar is too high in pregnancy. Though high blood sugar hyperglycemia is more common in pregnancy the changes in your body during pregnancy and how you react to insulin can also make your blood sugar drop dangerously low. Gestational diabetes is when hormones from the placenta block insulin preventing the body from regulating the increased blood sugar of pregnancy effectively. This causes hyperglycemia or high levels of sugar in the blood which can damage the nerves blood vessels and organs in your body. Even a small rise in blood sugar above what is considered normal was associated with an increase in adverse outcomes including high birth weight c section delivery and preeclampsia a.
The risks of having high blood sugar during pregnancy are numerous. One thing your doctor watches is glucose. Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia are more likely. Pregnant women with uncontrolled high blood sugar have an increased risk of preeclampsia preterm birth or a c section according to the cdc.
Blood sugar that is out of control early in pregnancy can lead to birth defects of the brain and heart or possible miscarriage. If left untreated both conditions can be harmful and increase the risk of some pregnancy complications. Later in the pregnancy it can lead to the baby becoming too large. While any pregnant woman can potentially develop gestational diabetes it is more likely in women who are overweight have a family history of diabetes or have had history of a baby weighing more than 9 pounds at birth.
Its normal for some to show up but if it shows up repeatedly or in large amounts it is sometimes a sign that you have gestational diabetes high blood sugar during pregnancy. It can also cause a baby to grow very large which can lead to nerve damage in the babys shoulders during birth. The newborns also were more likely to have low blood sugar levels and high insulin levels if their mothers blood sugar levels were higher. During pregnancy certain hormones cause this to happen.
When youre pregnant you may wonder why your obstetrician asks for a urine sample at prenatal checkups. It means that your blood sugar level is too high.