Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that allows the body to convert blood sugar into energy or store it as fat. When the body does not produce enough insulin or does not use it properly, diabetes occurs, a blood sugar concentration that is too high.
From 2 to 5% of women develop diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes), but this is no problem for the baby, because although this disorder carries some risks during pregnancy, medical advances manage to reduce them considerably.
The most important thing is that diabetes is treated properly, otherwise it could harm the health of the baby with a congenital, heart defect, obesity and could even be born lifeless. Normally, gestational diabetes occurs during the second half of pregnancy, when hormones or other factors interfere with the body's ability to use its own insulin. There are usually no symptoms and usually normalizes after delivery.
The women most likely to suffer diabetes in pregnancy are those over 30, obese women or women with a family history of diabetes.
