What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a disorder in the way the body gets energy from food. It occurs:
- When there isn't enough insulin, a hormone
 made by the pancreas that is essential for using food properly, or
- When the insulin the body makes doesn't work normally
Glucose is a sugar that results from the digestion of food. When food is digested, glucose enters the bloodstream and is carried to all the cells in your body. Your cells use glucose as fuel-it is the energy that keeps you alive.
Insulin is the key that lets glucose into your cells. Without insulin, glucose can't be used for energy. Instead, it builds up in the blood. High levels of glucose in the blood can, over many years, damage blood vessels, nerves and vital organs. Some people with diabetes need daily insulin injections to prevent these complications.
There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and gestational. Type 1 is also known as juvenile diabetes, and type 2 is known as adult onset diabetes. In relation to a woman's pregnancy, these would be described as "pre-existing" diabetes.
Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy, typically between weeks 24 and 28, and generally disappears following the birth. All types have similar symptoms and result when there is too much sugar, or glucose, in the blood.
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Need To Know:
When talking about how much glucose is in your blood, your doctor may use the terms "blood glucose" or "blood sugar" interchangeably.
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During pregnancy, diabetes can cause complications that affect both you and your baby. These problems are largely preventable. You can control diabetes, reduce your health risks and protect your baby by following these steps:
- Maintain a special diet
- Monitor your blood glucose
- Follow a regular exercise program
- Use insulin when necessary
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Nice To Know:
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The Different Types of Diabetes
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TYPE
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USUALLY STARTS IN
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OCCURS BECAUSE
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COMMON SYMPTOMS
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TREATMENT INVOLVES:
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Type 1
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childhood
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the pancreas can't make insulin
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extreme thirst, hunger, fatigue
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diet, exercise, and insulin injections
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Type 2
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adults over 40
(who are often obese)
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the body cells become resistant to insulin
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frequent thirst and urination
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diet, exercise, diabetes pills and insulin if the pills don't work
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Gestational
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pregnancy
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pregnancy causes the body cells to become resistant to insulin
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fatigue, thirst and frequent urination; may be easily overlooked during pregnancy
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diet, exercise, and sometimes insulin injections
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Facts About Diabetes In Pregnancy
- Eight million women have diabetes, a condition that affects the way your body uses food. Some develop diabetes as children. Others, especially if they are overweight, become diabetic when they are adults. In addition, one in 20 pregnant women gets a type of diabetes called gestational diabetes.
- Gestational diabetes develops in about 4 percent of all pregnant women - about 135,000 pregnant women in the United States each year.
- Unlike other types of diabetes that last a lifetime, gestational diabetes usually disappears when a woman gives birth.
- Up to 50percent of women with gestational diabetes will, however, develop permanent type 2 diabetes within 10 to 15 years.
- If you have had gestational diabetes once, you're likely to develop it again in subsequent pregnancies.
- If you are overweight after pregnancy, you have a 60percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes in the next 10 to 20 years. If you maintain a reasonable weight and exercise regularly, your chances of developing diabetes are less than 25 percent.
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Diabetes In Pregnancy
