Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. It usually goes away after the baby is born.
Around 10% of pregnant women will develop gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes (sometimes referred to as GDM) is diagnosed when higher than normal blood glucose levels first appear during pregnancy.
This occurs when some of the hormones produced by the placenta during pregnancy reduce the action of insulin.
If the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin, blood glucose levels rise and gestational diabetes develops.
This usually occurs around the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes indicates an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
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