How long does it take to recover from gestational diabetes after childbirth?

Written by Luo Juan
Endocrinology
Updated on November 16, 2024
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For the vast majority of pregnant women with gestational diabetes, their fasting blood glucose or glucose tolerance test can return to normal within six weeks after delivery. However, the recurrence rate of gestational diabetes during subsequent pregnancies is 50%, and about 25% to 70% of those with gestational diabetes may develop diabetes again within 16 to 25 years after giving birth. For those whose blood sugar levels return to normal after childbirth, it is also advisable to check their blood sugar every three years. For patients with abnormal fasting blood glucose or reduced glucose tolerance after childbirth, an annual check should be conducted to screen for diabetes, and they should receive strict dietary treatment and individualized exercise therapy. Therefore, the recovery time for postpartum gestational diabetes depends on the circumstances.

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Written by Luo Han Ying
Endocrinology
1min home-news-image

Are there many people with gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is increasingly common now as living standards improve, and there is more attention on pregnant women from their families. Often, out of fear of malnutrition during pregnancy, there is a tendency to over-nourish and overeat, leading to significant weight gain around the 24th to 26th weeks of pregnancy. Upon examination, it is discovered that their blood sugar levels are elevated, indicating gestational diabetes. Although gestational diabetes is becoming more widespread, the blood sugar levels are usually not extremely high. Therefore, such patients can often manage their condition through diet control and encouraging appropriate exercise for pregnant women. Thus, pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes should not be overly stressed psychologically.

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Written by Zhang Jun Jun
Endocrinology
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Does gestational diabetes require hospitalization?

Patients with gestational diabetes who initially have adequate blood sugar control do not need to be hospitalized; however, those with poor blood sugar control require further hospitalization for observation and treatment. In addition to diet and exercise, medication control such as insulin therapy is currently recommended for managing blood sugar in gestational diabetes. Insulin therapy must be used under strict medical supervision to avoid hypoglycemia. Since both high and low blood sugar levels can have a dual impact on pregnant women and fetuses, the need for hospitalization for patients with gestational diabetes mainly depends on their blood sugar levels.

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Written by Tang Zhuo
Endocrinology
1min 10sec home-news-image

How to control gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes refers to the onset of diabetes during pregnancy, or the first detection of varying degrees of hyperglycemia, including glucose intolerance and diabetes that were not identified before pregnancy. The risks of gestational diabetes are more severe in patients with serious conditions or poor blood sugar control, as it can easily lead to miscarriage and preterm birth, infections, and in severe cases, ketoacidosis. So, how can gestational diabetes be controlled? It can be managed through dietary control and insulin treatment. Dietary control is crucial; the ideal dietary management aims to ensure and meet the caloric and nutritional needs during pregnancy while preventing hyperglycemia or ketosis due to starvation, ensuring normal fetal growth and development. For cases where dietary management is insufficient to control diabetes, insulin is the primary medication. (Please seek professional medical guidance before using any medication, and do not self-medicate.)

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Written by Chen Xie
Endocrinology
1min 9sec home-news-image

Gestational diabetes: what kind of milk to drink?

The overall principle of dietary control for patients with gestational diabetes is to manage the total calorie intake and adopt a pattern of eating smaller, more frequent meals. Ideally, the day should be divided into 5 to 6 meals. This approach helps not only in controlling blood sugar levels but also in reducing the occurrence of hypoglycemia. For patients with gestational diabetes, it is recommended to drink pure milk. However, many of the milk and dairy products available on the market contain a large amount of added sugar or have a very high fat content, which can lead to excessive caloric intake and affect blood sugar control. Therefore, for patients with gestational diabetes, it is advisable to drink low-fat or non-fat pure milk, which has relatively lower calories and will not impact blood sugar levels. It is suggested to have a glass of pure milk either two hours after a meal or before bedtime to help reduce the occurrence of hypoglycemia and prevent it during the night.

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Written by Tang Zhuo
Endocrinology
1min 11sec home-news-image

Gestational diabetes hazards

The hazards of gestational diabetes: So, what is gestational diabetes? It refers to the onset of varying degrees of hyperglycemia during pregnancy, or its first detection, including previously undetected glucose tolerance abnormalities and diabetes before pregnancy. However, pregnancies in diabetic patients are not included in this category, and should be referred to as diabetes complicating pregnancy. The main dangers of gestational diabetes are that it can jeopardize the health of both the fetus and the mother. The effects and hazards to offspring mainly manifest as an increased risk of fetal intrauterine death, congenital anomalies, and complications. There is also an increased risk of macrosomia, and an increased incidence of neonatal hypoglycemia, jaundice, polycythemia, and hypocalcemia. Additionally, the risk of obesity, glucose tolerance abnormalities, and diabetes significantly increases in offspring during adolescence or young adulthood.