What is gestational diabetes?

    Last Updated: October 25, 2023

    Gestational diabetes is a condition characterized by abnormal glucose tolerance and high blood sugar during pregnancy. It usually develops during the second or third trimester and resolves soon after delivery. Early identification of this condition is important, as it increases the risk of health complications for both the expecting parent and the baby when left untreated.[1] This includes short-term risks (e.g., large for gestational age newborns, birth trauma, neonatal respiratory and metabolic complications, etc.)[2][3] and long-term risks (e.g., type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the parent, and later-life obesity and type 2 diabetes in the offspring).[4][5] Successful management of blood sugar greatly decreases the short- and long-term risks associated with gestational diabetes.[6]

    References

    1. ^Ye W, Luo C, Huang J, Li C, Liu Z, Liu FGestational diabetes mellitus and adverse pregnancy outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ.(2022-May-25)
    2. ^Dodd JM, Crowther CA, Antoniou G, Baghurst P, Robinson JSScreening for gestational diabetes: the effect of varying blood glucose definitions in the prediction of adverse maternal and infant health outcomes.Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol.(2007-Aug)
    3. ^HAPO Study Cooperative Research Group, Boyd E Metzger, Lynn P Lowe, Alan R Dyer, Elisabeth R Trimble, Udom Chaovarindr, Donald R Coustan, David R Hadden, David R McCance, Moshe Hod, Harold David McIntyre, Jeremy J N Oats, Bengt Persson, Michael S Rogers, David A SacksHyperglycemia and adverse pregnancy outcomesN Engl J Med.(2008 May 8)
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    5. ^Dabelea D, Hanson RL, Lindsay RS, Pettitt DJ, Imperatore G, Gabir MM, Roumain J, Bennett PH, Knowler WCIntrauterine exposure to diabetes conveys risks for type 2 diabetes and obesity: a study of discordant sibships.Diabetes.(2000-Dec)
    6. ^Farrar D, Simmonds M, Griffin S, Duarte A, Lawlor DA, Sculpher M, Fairley L, Golder S, Tuffnell D, Bland M, Dunne F, Whitelaw D, Wright J, Sheldon TAThe identification and treatment of women with hyperglycaemia in pregnancy: an analysis of individual participant data, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and an economic evaluation.Health Technol Assess.(2016-Nov)