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Gestational Diabetes
(GY009)
Introduction


Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy and disappears following delivery of the baby. In GDM, the mother's body does not produce and use enough insulin to respond to glucose derived from food. This leads to high levels of glucose (hyperglycemia) in the mother's body, which then circulates to the fetus via the umbilical cord blood.

In response to the high glucose levels, the fetus grows larger than normal (macrosomia) which can lead to several complications at the time of delivery. Meanwhile, the fetus produces more insulin to handle the extra glucose. This can lead to complications in the management of the infant's glucose levels following delivery.

GDM affects 135,000 pregnant women (3-5 %) in the United States. While several risk factors have been identified, almost 50% of women with the disorder have no predisposing factors.

The management of GDM varies according to the individual physical, psychological, social, cultural, and educational needs of the woman. The mainstay of treatment is diet and exercise, although it may be necessary to use insulin injections to provide adequate control of blood glucose levels.


Medifocus: Trusted Medical Information...When You Really Need to Know


The Medifocus Guide on Gestational Diabetes provides answers to the following important questions and medical issues:


What Your Doctor Reads:


This MediFocus Guide contains an extensive listing of citations and abstracts of recent journal articles that have been published about this condition in trustworthy medical journals. This is the same type of information that is available to physicians and other health care professionals. A partial selection of journal articles that are abstracted in this MediFocus Guide includes:




MediFocus.com understands that consumers who are facing serious medical issues need access to credible, up-to-date medical information to help them make informed health-care decisions. That's why we've developed the MediFocus Guides...the most advanced and trustworthy patient research guides for over 200 chronic and life-threatening conditions. Each MediFocus Guide includes a detailed overview of the condition including information about diagnosis, treatment options, cutting-edge research, and new developments; excerpts of important journal articles from the current medical literature focusing on standard treatments and treatment options; a directory of leading authors and medical institutions who specialize in the treatment of the condition; and a listing of organizations and support groups where you can obtain additional information about the illness.

MediFocus Guides are the perfect solution for consumers who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of their medical issue and avail themselves of the same type of professional level medical information that is used by physicians and other health-care professionals to help then in the clinical decision making process.
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