August 15, 2003
Gestational Diabetes
Question from Kilgore, Texas, USA:
At 32 weeks into my last pregnancy I asked the doctor to do an ultrasound, but he assured me the baby was perfectly normal in size, and there was absolutely no reason for one. He scheduled it anyway, and the baby was very large! He tested me and went on vacation. Two weeks later, I was immediately put on four shots of insulin a day.
I am 26 years old, 23 weeks pregnant with my fourth child.and this time I have a different doctor. Since I was16 weeks pregnant, my blood sugars have been 105-115 mg/dl [5.8-6.4 mmol/L], usually in the 180s mg/dl [10 mmol/L] at one hour after meals, and I stay in the 140s mg/dl [7.8 mmol/L] between meals. However, my doctor seems to think this is okay and even said that my baby measures perfectly normal. I am very concerned. Do I need a second opinion?
Answer:
I would suggest seeking a second opinion, and your blood sugar needs to be under tighter control. Your fasting blood sugar should be in the 95 mg/dl [5.3 mmol/L] range, and two hours after a meal, it should be less than 120 mg/dl [6.7 mmol/L]. You should also have ultrasound evaluations for fetal anatomy and growth. You may want to check your glucose when you get the headaches to see if you are too low or high.
OWJ
