Causes and effects of elevated levels of sugar in the urine during pregnancy

Pregnant women are particularly suspicious, and therefore any deviation from the norm in tests can cause a real panic in the expectant mother. One of the most common phenomena, frightening women, is the appearance of sugar in the urine. What is the reason and the consequences for a pregnant woman and her child, we will tell in this article.

Glucose is very important for the human body, it provides it with the necessary energy. Doubly glucose is necessary for a woman in the period of carrying a baby. Together with vitamins, minerals and oxygen, glucose reaches the child through the uteroplacental blood flow from the mother’s blood, and therefore the blood sugar level of the pregnant woman can be somewhat elevated, within the upper limit of normalcy.

In a healthy person sugar in the urine should not be at allAfter all, all glucose is completely absorbed through the renal tubules.

Approximately every tenth future mother has a short-term increase in the level of sugar in the urine, they are a one-time, single character and are not cause for alarm. The norm due to the peculiarities of the period of carrying a child is considered figure not higher than 1.7 mmol / liter.

In the second and third trimester of pregnancy Permissible is the concentration of sugar in the urine in an amount of not more than 0.2%.

A woman gives a urine for analysis every time she visits the doctor, and therefore an increase in sugar in her or the detection of traces of glucose will certainly become obvious. In this case your doctor will prescribe additional examination whose task is to determine whether the increase in glucose is physiological and harmless, or is it a sign of the development of the disease.

A woman will have to donate blood for sugar, a blood test for hormones (in particular, the content of the thyroid hormone to determine the insulin production features), as well as a clinical blood test, which will look for glycated hemoglobin.

The amount of glucose in the secondary urine is directly related to the level of sugar in the blood, this can be seen from the following table:

Women who have confirmed elevated sugar values ​​after repeated analyzes are prescribed a special test, a glucose tolerance test. Glucose tolerance test is performed on an empty stomach. A woman is offered a glass of glucose diluted with water, and after 2 hours they evaluate the result. If, after this time, the sugar level in the capillary blood of a pregnant woman is higher than 6.8 mmol / liter, then diabetes will be suspected.

The reasons for the high content of sugar in the urine of the future mother can be both completely natural and pathological. Consider both scenarios.

The organism of the future mother “cares” not only about its energy well-being (and the pregnant woman’s energy requires much more!), But also about providing the baby with glucose, for whom energy is necessary for growth and formation of organs and systems. And so, in the mother's body, as it were, glucose accumulation mode “for a rainy day” is activated. That is why the sugar content may be elevated.

A woman’s diet and lifestyle can affect the appearance of sugar or its traces in the urine. If she rests a little, is nervous a lot, eats a large amount of sweets, then there is nothing surprising in the fact that a urine test will show a certain amount of glucose in the excreted fluid.

The appearance of sugar in the urine can be a signal of poor kidney. If the renal tubules do not cope with the "utilization" of excess glucose, then it enters the secondary urine, which is submitted for analysis.

High levels of sugar in the urine and in the blood may indicate the presence of diabetes. Many women do not even suspect that they have had problems with glucose assimilation for a long time, and only during pregnancy, when the load on the body is increased tenfold, it becomes obvious.

Another problem is pregnant diabetes or gestational diabetes. It occurs already during the carrying of the fetus and in 99% of cases passes a couple of months after delivery.

A woman may not feel anything out of the ordinary. But even if there are some symptoms, the majority of pregnant women habitually write them off on their condition, because the malady's future malaise is a usual thing, especially in the early and late periods.

If sugar is found in the urine, the woman should more closely “listen” to her condition.

On the pathological causes of high glucose in the body fluids and in the blood The following signs may indicate:

• feeling “broken” for no apparent reason, chronic fatigue, decrease in overall tone;
• increased drowsiness, even if the woman sleeps a fair amount of time, and she has no problems with sleep;
• instability of body weight, which manifests itself in a decrease, then an increase in mass for no apparent reason;
• appetite that is difficult to control;
• constant feeling of dryness in the mouth, thirst, which causes the future mother to drink a large amount of fluid;
• frequent urination.

An increased level of sugar in the urine and blood, if it is not of a one-time short-term nature, provided it is not treated and monitored by doctors, can greatly complicate the life of the expectant mother and her child.

First of all, The probability of pregnancy preeclampsia increases tenfold. This condition, associated with edema and high blood pressure, is a direct threat to pregnancy and can cause serious complications in the birth process.

Mother's diabetes is a risk factor for the child's development. It is known that an elevated sugar in a pregnant woman can cause fetal malformations and abnormalities that are incurable, total, and in most cases fatal.

High levels of sugar in the mother can provoke violations of the respiratory system and function in the child, as well as become a good prerequisite for the occurrence of neurological disorders in the baby.

In rare cases, it may occur very dangerous consequence - congenital diabetes of newborns. Such babies have absolute insulin deficiency, they are literally doomed to a lifelong intake of a synthetic drug, since their own pancreas is not developed, underdeveloped or not functioning.

Treat a pregnant woman can be inpatient or at home. The decision of the doctor will depend on the exact amount of sugar in the urine; at high and dangerous values, the pregnant woman can be hospitalized.

First of all, the nutrition of the future mother is corrected. From her diet pastries, pastry dough, sweets, chocolate, fruit juices will be excluded. Recommended proteins, meat, fish, fresh vegetables, legumes, greens, unsweetened homemade fruit drinks and compotes. Meals should be fractional and frequent, should be eaten in small portions.

You will need to eat at least 5-6 times a day. Overeating is considered as dangerous as fasting, because in case of untimely eating or skipping intake, blood pressure can drop sharply, which will create a threat of fetal death.

The obstetrician-gynecologist will pay special attention to controlling the weight of the expectant mother. In a week she should gain no more than a kilogram, otherwise the load on the body will be too high. At the same time, a pregnant woman will have to visit an endocrinologist and often control sugar levels in both urine and blood.

In gestational diabetes, doctors do not consider it appropriate to prescribe medication, because in most cases this condition is temporary, it does not need correction, it is completely enough correct lifestyle and strict adherence to the prescribed diet.

In the process of treatment, it is important not to sit on the couch in front of the TV, but to take long walks in the fresh air, to do adequate physical exertion, this will allow you to control weight.

If there is no exercise, glucose is consumed by the body to a lesser extent. If they are, then energy requirements increase, and the likelihood that glucose will remain “in reserve” is minimal.

Treatment of gestational diabetes does not take as long as it may seem at first glance. If you follow all the recommendations, the sugar in the urine and blood normalizes in a few weeks. This does not mean that after that you can relax and start eating cakes and chocolates again.

In order not to take a therapeutic diet, a woman should better prevent the appearance of high sugar in the urine and from the very beginning make sure that her diet is correct and her lifestyle is quite active.

It is important not to abandon the tests recommended during childbearing, although they are considered mandatory only conditionally. The Ministry of Health only recommends them. Refusal to donate urine or blood is a risk to miss deviations and put the baby’s life and health at risk.

If you feel unwell and the symptoms described above, you should not wait for another urine or blood test, but should immediately contact the consultation and get a referral for an unscheduled examination. The sooner it is possible to control the glucose level, the less likely it is that negative consequences will arise for the mother and her child.

In the next video you will find information about the level of glucose during pregnancy.