Pregnancy and Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes (GD) is a common condition that can develop during pregnancy. In other words, gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes, which affects mainly pregnant women’s. During gestational diabetes, the mother to be has a large amount of sugar in her blood and it usually resolves after the birth of the baby. Any women can develop gestational diabetes. However, if it is not properly controlled then it will lead problems for the mother and baby.

A gestational diabetes (GD) develops because there is not enough amount of insulin in the women’s body at the time of pregnancy. An insulin is basically a hormone that enables the body of a pregnant women to break down sugar or glucose in her blood that is to be used as energy. A gestational diabetes develops when a pregnant women’s body is not able to meet the extra insulin demands of the pregnancy. A gestational diabetes is most likely to occur in women’s if they smoke, are overweight and if there is any previous history of unexplained stillbirth.

The symptom of gestational diabetes or pregnancy diabetes includes frequent urination, increased thirst, tiredness, etc. However, these are also common symptoms in normal pregnancy. A gestational diabetes does not impact a pregnant women’s body immediately. If in case, the diabetes is not effectively controlled then it can lead to various problems such as premature labor, high blood pressure, etc. Pregnancy with gestational diabetes is manageable and preventable. The key to prevention is careful control of blood sugar levels just as soon as the diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made and taking a pregnancy gestational diabetes diet.

Pregnancy and Fever

Fever during first trimester of pregnancy can create problems for the mother as well as to the developing baby. Also, a fever a symptom of pregnancy. A mild fever during early pregnancy can occur at any other time. However, a high fever during pregnancy can certainly prove harmful or can even lead to the fetal death. The symptoms of pregnancy fever differ from women to women. It is very important that a women does not panics and instead she must remain calm and not worry too much.

Treatment of Fever in Pregnanc

A pregnant women having fever must do the following things in order to mitigate her fever:
· A pregnant women must take warm baths.
· A pregnant women drink plenty of fluids.
· A pregnant women must take adequate amount of rest.
· A pregnant women must not perform any kind of strenuous activity.
· A pregnant women must wear loose fitting clothes during fever.
· A pregnant women must place a cool compress on her forehead and wrists.
There is also a type of fever known as scarlet fever. A scarlet fever during pregnancy is generally caused by an exotoxin from the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes. The symptoms of scarlet fever include a high fever and a sore throat that is followed by a rough sandpaper like rash over the body lasting for three or days. The skin will start to peel after the rash is gone. One of the classic signs of scarlet fever are a bright red tongue with a strawberry appearance and a facial redness on the cheeks particularly the nose and areas surrounding the mouth are usually not red.

If a pregnant women develops a fever in pregnancy then she must take acetaminophen (Tylenol) at the regular intervals and dose recommended on the bottle. She can take the dosage of the medicine until her fever cures. Treating other aspects of a cold or flu is not required or necessary, but bringing down the fever is very much important.
Note: It is advisable that the above mentioned medicines should not be taken by the pregnant women unless instructed by the doctor.

Pregnancy and High Blood Pressure

Pregnancy with high blood pressure commonly develops during pregnancy. It means that the pressure of blood in the women’s arteries is very high. About eight per cent of women have problems with high blood pressure during pregnancy. The risks of high blood pressure in pregnancy are usually not a very serious problem. However, in most women, it becomes rather severe, which can be harmful to both the mother and the baby. A blood pressure usually becomes high after the 20th week of pregnancy.

Some of the pregnant women diagnosed with high blood pressure during pregnancy tend to develop pre-eclampsia which is a very serious problem. A pre-eclampsia not only leads to high blood pressure but it also affects various other parts of women’s body such as blood vessels, kidney, liver, etc. A chronic high blood pressure pregnancy symptoms accompanied by preeclampsia can lead to many complications such as premature delivery, low birthweight, placental abruption, etc. The symptoms of pre-eclampsia includes vision problems, severe headache, sudden weight gain, pain in the upper right abdomen, nausea, vomiting and decreased urine output

However, it is still not known as why some of the women get pre-eclampsia, but it is known that the women are diagnosed with pre-eclampsia are at a higher risk than others. The risk of developing pre-eclampsia is largely increased in those women’s who:
· Gain a lot of weight than recommended.
· Have certain immune disorders such as blood diseases.
· Are 35 years or older.
· Develop high blood pressure during early pregnancy.
· Are pregnant for the first time.
· Have other diseases such as kidney disease or diabetes.
· Have a history of chronic hypertension.

It is very much necessary to prevent high blood pressure in pregnancy. When a blood pressure increases then a pregnant women is advised bed rest and if the pregnancy with high blood pressure does not happen to increase at the dangerous levels, then the pregnancy may be allowed to continue until the labor begins naturally. If in case pre-eclampsia develops then the only real cure of this condition is to have a baby. However, the decision on the delivery of a baby completely depends on the recommendation of the doctor who may wait to see if your condition improves.

It is advised and recommended by many experts that a pregnant women must have regular blood pressure checks. The doctor will track your blood pressure and check the level of protein in the pregnant women’s which is very much necessary during the stage of pregnancy. A pregnant women must try to adhere to the recommendations of doctor and follow the medications prescribed by him. A pregnant women must also try to limit her intake of salt and try out some regular physical activity.

Pregnancy and Asthma

Pregnancy is a very exciting time in a women’s life. During pregnancy a lot of changes occur in a women’s body. She may feel tired, uncomfortable one day and healthy, energetic and happy the next day. The last thing you need is an asthma attack. Asthma during pregnancy is one the most common conditions that can complicate pregnancy. It can also affect those women’s also who had never experienced it before. Asthma in pregnancy if it is treated effectively can lead to healthy delivery. However, if the asthma is not cured properly then it can have a negative effect on the fetus of the pregnant women as well as on her baby. Also, it can give rise to some of the following problems:

· It can lead to high blood pressure.
· It can lead to complications during the time of pregnancy.
· It can have a severe effect on the kidneys, lungs, brain, liver, etc.

A large majority of women who suffer from asthma attack in pregnancy have perfectly normal and healthy babies. However, if the asthma is not controlled then it can result into too little oxygen getting to the baby, which in turn increases the risk of low birth weight.

For the safe and sound pregnancy, women suffering from asthma must follow the medical health plan given by her doctor as well as take the prescribed medications. The austerity of asthma varies from one women to other women. Asthma can attack the pregnant women during the seventeen to twenty four weeks of the pregnancy. A pregnant women must try out the following things in order to avoid asthma:

· She must immediately stop the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes.
· She must avoid stress and anxiety as it may trigger an asthma attack
· She must reduce the intake of caffeine.
· She must go for the blood test of various other diseases such as chicken pox, HIV, hepatitis B, etc.
· She must avoid strong smelling deodorants, perfumes and paints.
· She must continue taking the medications prescribed by the doctor.

Asthma Medications and Pregnancy
Asthma treatment in pregnancy is very much essential. Most asthma medications during pregnancy are safe. The risk of uncontrolled asthma is far greater than the risks to fetus or mother from the medications used to control asthma. The various researches’ undertaken does not provide a very clear picture that any of drug used to cure asthma can lead to any problems during the time of pregnancy. One thing that can be done is that the pregnant women should be provided with the proper knowledge about the maintenance of asthma, proper use of inhalers, asthma prevention, etc. There are many asthma medicines or drugs that are considered safe for the women’s infected with asthma such as budesonide, Corticosteroid tablets, formoterol, theophylline, etc. Besides, there are several other medicines that should be avoided by the pregnant women’s such as tetracycline, aspirin, iodides, etc.
Note: It is advisable that the pregnant women must take the asthma medicines only after the prescribed guidance of the doctor.