GDM, or gestational diabetes mellitus, is a serious condition that affects approximately 3-8% of all pregnant women in United States. These women enter their pregnancies with no history of diabetes. In their second or third trimester, they develop symptoms of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Type 2 diabetes is a medical condition in which either the pancreas cannot produce an adequate amount of insulin or the body cannot absorb the insulin. During pregnancy, the placenta produces extra hormones that block the ability of the women’s insulin; therefore, her production level is fine. She is simply insulin resistant.
Insulin’s primary job is to remove glucose, or sugar from the bloodstream and transfer it into the muscles, fat, and tissue, where the body will use it as energy. When insulin is unavailable, the body can become fatigued, as it has no fuel to keep it going.
