What Causes Gestational Diabetes?

If you're pregnant or thinking about starting a family soon, you might have heard about gestational diabetes and wondered what it really entails. 

Let’s gently unpack what causes this condition that’s specific to pregnancy, helping you understand how to effectively manage it or even lower your risk.

This article was written by Susa Horvath, a Berlin-based mother, who founded ZenZen, a companion app designed for managing pregnancy-related diabetes. After experiencing the challenges of gestational diabetes firsthand, she co-created ZenZen with an internist to address the lack of accessible knowledge, emotional support, and the inefficiencies of paper-based data tracking during pregnancy.

What is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational or pregnancy diabetes is a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy and typically resolves after your baby is born.

While it differs from Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, it's important to manage it because it can affect both your health and your baby's if not addressed properly.

So, What Causes Gestational Diabetes?

This condition arises due to hormonal changes during pregnancy which affect insulin—a key hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. Here’s what happens:

• Changes in Hormones: The hormones produced by the placenta are vital for your baby’s development but can also make your body resistant to insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps your body turn sugar from the food you eat into energy or store it for future use.

• Increased Demand for Insulin: As your pregnancy progresses, your body needs more insulin. If your pancreas can’t meet this demand, your blood sugar levels could rise, leading to gestational diabetes.

• Genetics and the Environmental: Your risk can increase due to family history, age (especially if you’re over 25), and being overweight. Certain ethnicities may also have a higher risk, including Hispanic, African American, Native American, South or East Asian, and Pacific Islanders.

• Previous Gestational Diabetes: If you’ve experienced this in a past pregnancy, the likelihood of it happening again increases.

Dealing with Feelings of Guilt

Please remember, developing gestational diabetes isn’t your fault. The changes causing it are entirely outside your control. Knowing this can help ease any feelings of guilt or stress.

Why It Matters

Not paying attention to gestational diabetes can lead to complications like a higher birth weight for your baby, premature delivery, and a raised risk of type 2 diabetes for you later on. For your child, it might increase their risk of future health issues like obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Next Steps

Armed with knowledge, you’re better prepared to manage gestational diabetes. If you’ve been diagnosed, speak to your healthcare team about the next steps. Also, check out our Guide to Eating Well with Gestational Diabetes.

In addition, the following can help:

• Monitor Your Health: Keep an eye on your blood sugar levels throughout your pregnancy.

• Stay Active and Eat Well: Regular exercise and a balanced diet can make a big difference.

• Regular Check-Ups: Stay in close contact with your healthcare provider to keep tabs on your pregnancy and address any concerns swiftly.

An app like ZenZen can also help to stay healthy, happy, and feel supported every step of the way.

Thanks, Susa!