Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. It develops because pregnancy puts extra pressure on your body, especially due to pregnancy hormones, which can make it harder for your body to use insulin properly.
Women with gestational diabetes can have a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby but it is important that gestational diabetes is managed to reduce the risk of developing complications during pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes is diagnosed when higher than normal blood glucose levels first appear during pregnancy. Most women with gestational diabetes will no longer have diabetes after the baby is born. However, some women will continue to have increased blood glucose levels after delivery.
Women who have had GDM are at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, so it is important to get checked regularly following pregnancy. See more information about diabetes in pregnancy here.
Women who have risk factors for gestational diabetes should be tested earlier in their pregnancy. Gestational diabetes may also occur in women with no known risk factors.
Women at increased risk of developing gestational diabetes include those who:
