Glucose in the urine in pregnancy and gestational diabetes: what you need to know
Glucose in the urine during pregnancy is a fairly common condition and is not always linked to a pathology. In some cases, however, it could indicate the presence of gestational diabetes mellitus and for this reason, once detected following routine urinalysis, it should not be ignored. Let's find out everything there is to know about the subject, but in the meantime, here is 9 months of pregnancy summarized in 2 minutes of video:
Glucose in the urine in pregnancy: tests and reference values
Glucose in the urine in pregnancy, as anticipated, is quite common. The request for the glucose measurement parameter is prescribed in the urinalysis that is carried out several times during pregnancy precisely so that the presence of this sugar can be kept under control.
In general, detecting the presence of glucose in the urine is always important to be able to monitor the health of those who are tested, even if it is not a pregnant woman. Knowing the amount of glucose in the urine allows first of all to be able to ascertain the presence of diabetes: if the amount of this sugar in the urine (or in the blood, if a blood test is carried out by detecting blood sugar) is too high, usually the patient suffers from diabetes, a disease that consists precisely in a poor ability to metabolize glucose.
The test that allows you to measure the presence of glucose in the urine (in pregnancy and not) is very quick: the patient just needs to deliver a sterile test tube with their own urine, while the laboratory technicians will just use a litmus paper that will take on different colors based on the concentration of glucose in the urine. In some cases, in order to ascertain the diagnosis, a single tube is not required, but the doctor may prescribe a more specific test called "24-hour glycosuria".
Values for urine glucose levels in a healthy patient range from 0 to 15 mg / dL. When glucose levels exceed this threshold, the causes may be attributable to the presence of diabetes, renal glycosuria (a very rare disease) or to pregnancy. During a pregnancy, many women happen to find during the urinalysis a concentration of glucose higher than necessary which, in some cases, can be linked to gestational diabetes.
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Glucose in the urine in pregnancy and gestational diabetes
The high concentration of glucose in the urine during pregnancy can be linked to the presence of gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes specifically linked to the period of pregnancy and which will disappear after delivery. Some women, in fact, "get sick" from gestational diabetes ( probably due to genetic predisposition) because their pancreas does not adapt to the changes in the body regarding insulin.
When the woman's body no longer needs such a high level of insulin after childbirth, gestational diabetes will disappear by itself and the glucose levels in the urine will return to normal: it is therefore not a condition that should cause particular concern, but only the due attention. Gestational diabetes, according to the latest data, occurs in a percentage between 6 and 7% of pregnant women, affecting more than 40,000 pregnant women a year in Italy alone. It is also much more frequent among pregnant women at over the age of 35, who must pay particular attention to their diet and physical activity.
Risks of urine glucose in pregnancy for mother and baby
The detection of the presence of a "high concentration of glucose in the urine during pregnancy is important because gestational diabetes could carry a series of risks for both the mother and the fetus. The pregnant woman with gestational diabetes, in fact, could develop preeclampsia," a rather dangerous condition that carries various risks also for the fetus.
In addition, women with gestational diabetes increase their lifetime risk of developing type 2 diabetes. They may also be forced to give birth by caesarean section because the fetuses gain more weight during pregnancy.
If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy, however, don't be alarmed: with regular blood sugar monitoring, a healthy and controlled diet and the right physical activity, you will certainly be able to deliver healthy children, as is the case in most cases. Gestational diabetes is only dangerous when it is neglected. In these cases, premature birth or miscarriage may occur, or the fetus may develop macrosomia (larger than normal size). In addition, the newborn may have problems with hypoglycemia, suffer from neonatal jaundice, respiratory distress syndrome, or may not have enough minerals in the blood.
Treatment and prevention of gestational diabetes
As we have anticipated, the presence of glucose in the urine during pregnancy does not involve great risks if gestational diabetes is kept under control. Keeping your blood sugar at normal levels is important to be able to control your blood sugar level and avoid complications.
Your gynecologist will help you change your diet so that you do not take high amounts of glucose: it will be a diet with low carbohydrates, because it is the latter that promote the increase in blood sugar. Be careful, however, they will not be eliminated completely: you will have to say no to desserts and favor, for example, whole grains.
Maintaining a healthy weight will be just as important as doing regular physical activity. In addition, some women may be prescribed insulin, which is used to lower the level of blood sugar.
