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Pregnancy is surely the best emotion in a woman’s life, but it comes with it own set of challenges like morning sickness, cramps and pains.
But, that’s not all!
Pregnancy also comes with a few medical conditions, which might unnecessarily complicate the pregnancy.
Let’s take a look at those medical conditions:
Diabetes During Pregnancy
Diabetes is basically a lifestyle condition, in which the body does not make enough insulin, or the body is unable to use the insulin that is made. When the insulin is not properly produced, the glucose is unable to enter the cells to make blood, and the body cells die, thus leaving the organs badly affected. However, diabetes, during pregnancy, which is also known as Gestational Diabetes, is a condition that is not caused by lack of insulin.
To elaborate on this, during pregnancy, the placenta, which provides the developing foetus with its all-essential oxygen and nutrients, is also responsible for producing oestrogen, cortisol and lactogen hormones, thus blocking the insulin. With the growth of the placenta, more hormones are produced and the insulin resistance is greater. So, when not much insulin is produced, to stop the effects of placental hormones, it gives rise to gestational diabetes.
Depending upon the symptoms, age, and the trimester of pregnancy, treatment of gestational diabetes might include daily monitoring of blood sugar during pregnancy, physical activity and intake of medicines or insulin. As with uncontrolled gestational, a pregnant mother might give birth to baby, larger than normal, and suffer from respiratory distress and hypoglycaemia.
Hight Blood During Pregnancy or Preeclampsia
When the gynae wants to examine a urine sample at every pre-natal visit of a would-be-mummy, the doctor is trying to look for the signs of preeclampsia. This occurs in women, who are going to be mothers for the first-time or who are pregnant with twins. High blood pressure during pregnancy or pre-eclampsia, affects the arteries that carries the blood to the placenta, through the umbilical cord (umbilical cord blood). If this condition goes untreated, the umbilical cord will not get the sufficient amount of blood, oxygen and nutrients, thus causing slow growth in the unborn baby and low birth-weight or pre-term birth. In many of these cases, C-Section or vaginal delivery is necessitated.
Additionally, to keep an eye on the would-be-mother and unborn baby, kidney function tests and ultrasounds are more often done in pregnant mothers.
Thyroid During Pregnancy
A butterfly-shaped gland situated above the collarbone, produces hormones essential for the body’s functioning. If this organ is unable to function properly, it leads to slow hormonal disbalance, thus giving rise to rapid weight gain, hair loss, dry skin, fatigue, etc.
However, during pregnancy, the Endocrine Society recommends the pregnant mother to keep their TSH levels to be between 0.2-<2.5 mU/L in the first trimester of pregnancy and between 0.3-3 mU/L in the remaining trimesters. In fact, thyroid hormones are essential for the growth and the metabolism of the developing foetus. If left untreated, it gives rise to an increased risk of low birth weight, even miscarriage.
To Conclude
So, once you’re pregnant, don’t miss your doctor’s appointment for your regular pre-natal check-ups. And, yes, of course, don’t forget to follow healthy routine to avoid chronic diseases.