How to Prevent Gestational Diabetes?

QUESTION: Is there any way on how to avoid gestational diabetes? I am at 5th week of my pregnancy, and I am afraid of gestational diabetes.

I am trying to eat healthy although I do have nausea and sometimes vomiting. I am also trying to be active (without harming my baby of course).

One of my friend is at 7th month of pregnancy and is having problems with gestational diabetes. She has gained weight very quickly within a month and is on insulin shots.


I do not want to have her experience. That is why I want to know if there is any way or strategies on how to prevent gestational diabetes?


ANSWER: Hi there,

The bad thing is that no one is able to tell you for sure if you will get gestational diabetes. However, the good thing is that you can reduce the risk for it, by exercises and diet - the things which you are doing.

So, you will keep your weight within the normal ranges, which is very important, because generally pregnant overweight women are developing gestational diabetes.

As I can see from the information provided by you, everything is ok for now and I hope to be that way until the end of the pregnancy. But, if you want to be absolutely sure that you don’t have gestational diabetes, measure your blood glucose once a week as lack of symptoms make GD undetectable.

Something important to know is that vomiting and nausea are particularly normal during pregnancy. So, these two symptoms are something normal in your case and they are not a symbol of gestational diabetes.

Other thing is that there are early symptoms of diabetes, which are frequent hunger, combined with strong feel of thirst and frequent and plentiful urination.

If you notice these three symptoms together, you have to contact your doctor immediately. Keep up with the good work and you will see that soon everything will be fine.

Hope it helped!

Dr.Alba