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Posts for: August, 2021

Why does gestational diabetes occur?
The pancreas is responsible for producing insulin, which helps your body store sugar from food to use for energy; however, when you are pregnant the placenta also produces hormones that can impact insulin levels and lead to insulin resistance. If your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, this can result in gestational diabetes.
What are the signs of gestational diabetes?
It is possible for a pregnant woman to have gestational diabetes and not even know it, which is why you should keep up with prenatal visits with your OBGYN so that they can perform the necessary testing to keep both you and your baby healthy throughout your pregnancy and delivery.
However, it is possible to develop symptoms (particularly if you have undiagnosed diabetes before getting pregnant). These symptoms include,
- Blurry vision
- Fatigue
- Increased hunger and thirst
- Urinating more often
Since these symptoms can also just be indicative of a healthy, normal pregnancy (aka: being hungrier than usual) these symptoms don’t necessarily mean that you have gestational diabetes. You must speak with your OBGYN about certain risk factors and keep up with your checkups so that gestational diabetes can be detected right away.
How is gestational diabetes treated?
Many women can improve their blood sugar levels through simple measures such as healthy eating, exercising regularly, managing stress, and monitoring their blood sugar levels. By controlling this issue now you can prevent gestational diabetes in the future, as well as the development of type 2 diabetes. Sometimes your doctor may also prescribe insulin medication to help control your blood sugar.
Your OBGYN’s goal is to provide you with proper care and treatment throughout your life, from general wellness checkups to post-natal and menopausal care. If you have concerns about gestational diabetes, or if you’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, talk with your OBGYN about the best way to keep it under control.

Signs of PPH
It’s important to recognize the signs of PPH so you can call your OBGYN or 911 to get immediate medical attention. Some signs of PPH include,
- Heavy vaginal bleeding that won’t stop
- A drop in blood pressure (a sign of shock)
- Nausea or vomiting
- Pale and/or clammy skin
- Pain or swelling around the vagina
PPH is a life-threatening condition, so you mustn’t ignore these signs after giving birth.
Risk Factors for PPH
While PPH can happen without warning, there are risk factors that can predispose women to develop PPH. If you’ve had PPH in the past, you are more likely to have it in the future. PPH is also more common among Hispanic and Asian women.
You may also be more likely to develop PPH if you have any of these health problems,
- Uterine atony: When the muscles of the uterus don’t contract or tighten there is nothing to stop the bleeding
- Uterine inversion: When the uterus turns inside out during childbirth
- Ruptured uterus: When the uterus tears during delivery (this is rare)
Other conditions and factors that can increase your risk include,
- Conditions that impact the placenta such as placenta increta or placenta previa
- Undergoing a C-section
- Undergoing general anesthesia (often for a C-section)
- Medicines that induce labor such as Pitocin
- Vaginal tearing during childbirth
- Fast labor (less than six hours if this isn’t your first child) or augmented labor (more than 14 hours if this is your first baby)
- Placental infections
- Preeclampsia
- Gestational hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Blood conditions
If you have questions or concerns about childbirth or delivery, know that your OBGYN is always here to answer any of your questions. Talk through the possibility of PPH with your obstetrician so you can discuss beforehand, the steps that are going to be taken to protect both you and your baby during labor and delivery.