Gestational Diabetes Explained

Today we’re talking about Gestational Diabetes. What is it? How is it diagnosed? How reliable are these tests? If you are diagnosed, what does that mean for your pregnancy, baby and birth? Why does the usually recommended GDM diet result in worsening results, and is there a better alternative to all this? Lily Nichols has answers. Check it out!

What we talked about:

• What is Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)?
• Difference between types of diabetes
• How common is GDM?
• Why does it occur?
• What are common ways of detecting it and how reliable are they?
• The problems with these tests
• What is a better way to detect GDM?
• If you have GDM, what does that mean for your pregnancy, labor and baby?
• What is the healthiest way to manage GDM?
• The problem with the widely prescribed diet for people with GDM
• How can you prevent GDM?

Additional resources and articles*:

• 9 Gestational Diabetes Myths, by Lily Nichols
• Can low carb help with gestational diabetes in pregnancy? from Diet Doctor
• Does Gestational Diabetes always mean a Big Baby and Induction? from Evidence Based Birth
• Evidence on: Induction or C-section for a Big Baby, from Evidence Based Birth
• Gestational Diabetes: To Test Or Not To Test, from Birth Without Fear
• The A1C Test & Diabetes, from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Different strategies for diagnosing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) to improve maternal and infant health, Cochrane Review

We mention that there’s a lot of controversy around GDM. Here’s a link to an article by Michel Odent in 2004, that is at the heart of that controversy:

• “Gestational Diabetes: A Diagnosis Still Looking For a Disease?”, by Dr. Michel Odent

And here’s what different governing bodies recommend for diagnosis of GDM:

• Gestational Diabetes, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
• Glucose testing – screening for gestational Diabetes, from the Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC)
• Diabetes in pregnancy: management from preconception to the postnatal period (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence – these guidelines are used by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)
• Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) in Australia

Also, here’s a link to the doctor mentioned by Lily when talking about folic acid, and toxic exposures:

• Dr. Ben Lynch – Folic acid and Pregnancy

Courtesy of Lily Nichols

About Lily Nichols

Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, speaker, and author with a passion for evidence-based prenatal nutrition and exercise. Her book, Real Food for Gestational Diabetes, (and online course of the same name), presents a revolutionary nutrient-dense, lower carb diet for GDM. Her unique approach has helped thousands of women manage their gestational diabetes – and most without the need for blood sugar-lowering medication. Lily is also creator of the popular blog, PilatesNutritionist.com, which explores a variety of topics related to real food, digestive health, and pregnancy nutrition.