Information Kit - Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is believed to occur in 2% to 4% of pregnancies. A small percentage of non-diabetic women can develop diabetes during their pregnancy. This is termed gestational diabetes. Usually, there are no symptoms of gestational diabetes, which is diagnosed through blood tests 24 to 28 weeks into the pregnancy, but it does indicate that the women's body may be having difficulty in handling sugar during pregnancy.

Risks

Gestational diabetes is believed to be associated with the following risks:

• larger babies, and thus an increased chance of delivery by caesarean section
• infant respiratory distress syndrome
• low blood sugar levels at birth
• prolonged newborn jaundice

In gestational diabetes, blood sugar levels return to normal after delivery. However, the woman faces a higher lifelong risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and her baby is also more likely to develop the disease later in life.

Women with gestational diabetes should talk to their own physician, and their baby's doctor, about how best to lower their future risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

www.diabetes.gc.ca

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, (2002)

ISBN 0-662-66547-3
Cat. No. H39-620/2002-5