Causes of Gestational Diabetes

You thought it was going to be just another routine office visit. You're seven months into your pregnancy, and everything seems to be going fine. Then your doctor delivers news that hits you like a lightning bolt: You have gestational diabetes.

In fact, although the diagnosis may have been a shock, it probably wasn't a complete surprise. Early in your pregnancy, or perhaps before, your physician may have cautioned you about your risk for gestational diabetes. Any woman can develop the condition, but certain attributes increase the odds. Here's a quick refresher on the risk factors:

Those who have had gestational diabetes are likely to get it again with a subsequent pregnancy.
©2007 Publications International, Ltd.
Those who have had gestational diabetes
are likely to get it again.

  • Age: being older than 25

  • Family history: having a parent or sibling with diabetes

  • Ethnicity: being of African, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic, or Pacific Islander descent

  • Weight: being significantly overweight

  • Previous history: having already had gestational diabetes or given birth to an infant who weighed more than nine pounds

  • Higher than normal blood sugar levels: having ever been told that you have prediabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, or impaired fasting glucose

  • Previous difficult pregnancy

So how does this version of the disease differ from type 1 and type 2 diabetes? Gestational diabetes occurs when a woman develops insulin resistance while she's pregnant. About seven percent of pregnancies produce gestational diabetes. Scientists suspect that the wave of hormones a woman manufactures to support the health of a developing child interferes with the action of insulin, causing an increase in blood sugar. Expectant mothers with gestational diabetes rarely have the traditional symptoms of the disease, such as constant thirst, because their degree of hyperglycemia is slight.

Gestational diabetes poses many of the same risks that occur when women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes become pregnant. You may develop hypertension or need to have a cesarean section. And the baby may be overweight or have hypoglycemia on delivery.

Gestational diabetes usually disappears when a pregnancy ends. However, a small number of women continue to have elevated blood sugar, and the condition morphs into type 1 or 2 diabetes. Furthermore, one bout with gestational diabetes makes you more likely to develop the condition if you become pregnant again. Finally, your risk for developing type 2 diabetes sometime in the next decade or so soars by up to 50 percent.

Does This Mean My Baby Will Have Diabetes?
It's the first question many diabetes patients ask when they begin to ponder parenthood. Causes of Type 1 Diabetes spells out the odds for type 1 patients; less is known about whether type 2 diabetes is inherited, though scientists strongly suspect that parents pass along an increased risk for the disease.

If you're a concerned parent-to-be, your best bet is to consult a genetic counselor. These health professionals can explain and interpret inheritance patterns and how your (or your partner's) diabetes affects the risk of bearing a child with the disease. Most major medical centers have a genetic counselor on staff. You may also contact the National Society of Genetic Counselors (www.nsgc.org).

For more information on gestational diabetes and other pregnancy concerns, try the following links:
  • For a thorough overview of gestational diabetes, go to our main Gestational Diabetes page.
  • To learn more about diabetes in general, including diagnosis, causes, symptoms, and treatment, visit our main Diabetes page.
  • For a library of articles related to pregnancy, check out the Pregnancy Channel.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Timothy Gower is a freelance writer and the author of several books. His work has appeared in many magazines and newspapers, including Prevention, Health, Reader's Digest, Better Homes and Gardens, Men's Health, Esquire, Fortune, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS

Dana Armstrong, R.D., C.D.E., received her degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of California, Davis, and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. She has developed educational programs that have benefited more than 5,000 patients with diabetes. She specializes in and speaks nationally on approaches to disease treatment, specifically diabetes.

Allen Bennett King, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.E., C.D.E. is the author of more than 50 papers in medical science and speaks nationally on new advances in diabetes. He is an associate clinical professor at the University of California Natividad Medical Center and cofounder and medical director of the Diabetes Care Center in Salinas, California.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.