Savvy Women

Gestational diabetes is diagnosed when the woman is about 24-28 weeks pregnant. It is diagnosed by “oral glucose tolerance test” in which the woman is instructed not to eat for 4 to 8 hours. Then her blood sugar level is measured.

After checking the normal sugar count, she is given a sugar drink and after 2 hours the sugar level test is redone to assess abnormality in blood sugar level. If the woman’s sugar level is below 140 mg/dl then she is certified to be in the safe limit. However, if the sugar count is more than 140 mg/dl, she is diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Causes

Gestational diabetes is more likely to happen in obese women more than 25 years of age and who have the following -

A family record of diabetes or prior experience of this disease in past pregnancies can lead to gestational diabetes.

Women who delivered an unusually large and healthy baby or a baby born with birth defects in the past can have gestational diabetes.

If the woman has an excess amount of amniotic fluid, she is prone to gestational diabetes.

Symptoms and risk factors

Symptoms of gestational diabetes can be assessed by the delivery of the baby and both the mother and child’s condition-

The blood sugar level of diabetic pregnant women becomes abnormally high.

Unusual hunger, thirst, weight gain or high blood pressure are signs of gestational diabetes.

Recurrent vaginal infection may be a sign of gestational diabetes.

Treatments

A planned and balanced diet devoid of sweets is prescribed to the diabetic women to keep the sugar level in the normal range of 60 to 120 mg/dl. The diabetic female should exercise at least 3 or 4 days a week to maintain the sugar level in the body by burning excess fat. Balanced food and exercises can help in maintaining the normal pregnancy weight gain which is vital for treating gestational diabetes.

In case of severe gestational diabetes, a weekly or daily glucose level test is advised to the diabetic mother. If all these treatments prove ineffective, then insulin injections are recommended by the doctors to control the blood sugar level in the diabetic lady.

Complications

If the disease of gestational diabetes is left untreated or is not properly controlled then the baby can develop certain complications that include- Macrosomia, jaundice, respiratory distress syndrome, possibly death after 28 weeks of pregnancy or in infancy. Gestational diabetes can occur in future pregnancies as well.

So the pregnant ladies must seek doctoral advice and get complete details of how to prevent this diabetes in future as well as present pregnancies.

And to make matters worse, there is so much health information available that is at the same time confusing and conflicting. Who to believe? Who is trying to sell me what? Even doctors are often promoting this and that product as the latest greatest solution to various maladies and women’s health problems. Perhaps you find yourself asking questions such as these:

Womens Health Questions #1 – Are Bioidentical Hormones Different from Synthetic Drugs?

Yes, bioidentical hormones are very different from the synthetic drugs. The term “bioidentical” means that the hormone is exactly the same as what the body naturally makes. The body will treat a bioidentical hormone as if the body produced it naturally. When used in dosages similar to the body’s normal production, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can provide health benefits without the side effects associated with non-natural or synthetic drugs. Synthetic hormones are not natural to the body – they are different from natural hormones so they can be patented and marketed by the drug companies.

Women’s Health Questions #2 – Are There Really Any Best Vitamins for Women?

Absolutely! We all have what is referred to as dietary gaps, meaning, it is difficult to consume the necessary foods that provide needed nutrients every day. Who regularly eats the recommended 5-9 servings of vegetables and fruits each day? It is difficult for anyone to do and besides, the nutrient values found in foods today are lower than decades ago. Taking a high-quality, broad spectrum, anti-aging daily nutritional supplement formulated specifically for women helps fill in the dietary gaps that we all have.

Women’s Health Questions #3 – Why Should I Be Using Natural Cleaning Products?

For sure! Since 1945, more than 80,000 synthetic chemicals have been invented, the majority derived from a petroleum base. When using home cleaning products that you pour out of a container, you receive exposure either through your skin or from the fumes that you breathe. And what is even much worse is when you spray the petroleum-based toxic cleaners into the air, doing so means you will be breathing the airborne chemical particles directly into your lungs which will contribute to various women’s health problems! Natural cleaning products are easily available that are priced competitively and reduce exposure to the harsh chemicals found in regular household cleaners and sprays.

Women’s Health Questions #4 – Why Do Uterine Fibroids Develop in Women?

Uterine fibroids are known as muscle tumors and in most cases are non-cancerous. They are a very common growth in the female urinary tract. Fibroid growths afflict as many as 80% of American women in their 30′s to 50′s. One in four women will have complaints serious enough to seek medical treatment! The true causes of fibroids remain unknown, however, there are several factors that do seem to affect fibroid growths in women.

Women’s Health Questions #5 – Where Can I Find Answers to More Questions About Health?

Online! Understand what are normal changes in the reproductive cycle and health and what changes and symptoms indicate hormonal imbalances brought on by poor nutrition, excessive stress and other lifestyle factors. Learn as much as you can about your health, the reasons for the women’s health problems you may have and options available to you.

If you feel your health is not what it once was and want answers to your specific women’s health questions, begin by understanding what is healthy and normal and what is not. How you feel and perform every day is an issue that is too important to leave unattended any longer.

Copyright 2007 InfoSearch Publishing

Have you ever wished that you could do something to improve your skin and make it glow? Have you spent a lot of time trying to hide blemishes or discolorations, or dullness? Have you just wanted it to look cleaner and clearer naturally, before you put on your lotions and make ups? If yes, then here’s a few natural beauty tips that you can do for your own skin.

Natural Beauty Tip #1: Drink lots of water! That is right. The more water you drink, the better you skin will look – How’s that for some completely free beauty advice.

Natural Beauty Tip #2: Eat plenty of fresh vegetables – the more uncooked ones you eat the better. That is some of the best beauty advice you will ever get. Your body needs all those minerals and nutrients that you get from raw and fresh vegetables. Your skin will thank and reward you with a healthy glow.

Natural Beauty Tip #3: Do not smoke cigarettes. Nicotine yellows your skin, clogs your pores and gives you those nasty blackheads. That’s not only a beauty tip, it is a health tip. Think of what it must do to the rest of your body, if it can do that to your skin! Just don’t smoke.

Natural Beauty Tip #4: Take your vitamins! They keep you healthy, help you sleep, and if you are taking the right vitamins they nourish not only your blood but your skin. All that nourishment will make you look and feel younger. As we all know, when we feel good, we look good. The real secret to beauty!

Natural Beauty Tip #5: Get plenty of rest. Don’t stay up too late, then get up too early, and do it too many days in a row. Sure, there are those times when we have to go the extra mile and it may show for a day in our overall beauty. Just don’t make a habit of it. Sleep is the time when the body regenerates. Let it get its full regeneration.

Natural Beauty Tip #6: Try to reduce stress in your life (and the beauty tips above will all help with that). Nothing shows on your whole body like stress: the way you walk, the look in your eye, the haggard appearance of your skin, the way you talk, even the way you sit in your chair. Here’s a little beauty advice: your stress shows on your whole body so do not let that stress become overwhelming.

The funny thing about these beauty tips is that you can easily see that it really is just one big beauty tip: keep yourself healthy and happy and it will show in your skin. Then when you use your creams and make up, and your lovely scents and soaps it will make you even that much more beautiful than you are naturally.