June 25, 2002
Gestational Diabetes
Question from Tennessee, USA:
I am 26 weeks pregnant, and I am scheduled to have my gestational diabetes screening done in a week. When I went to the doctor, I had gained a little more weight than they had wanted me to. It was rapid weight gain, so they checked for high blood pressure which was ruled out. They told me that they wanted me to come back in three instead of four weeks and go ahead with the diabetes screening since my rapid weight gain could be from gestational diabetes. However, everything that I have read says that you will lose weight, not gain it. Is it possible for me to be gaining weight instead of losing if I have gestational diabetes? Why would they be so concerned? Why would they be so concerned?
Answer:
Rapid weight gain is not directly associated with gestational diabetes. It is possible that you are retaining a lot of water in addition to the usual weight gain of pregnancy.
Push on the skin over your shins. If the pressure leaves a dent, then this is from water under your skin (also called edema) which is common in pregnancy. If it occurs quickly, then the doctor will also evaluate you for a disease called preeclampsia (sometimes called toxemia). It sounds like this was done and the doctor wants to do a follow-up examination to make sure that this problem is not developing.
OWJ
