Gestational diabetes
Last updated 19 Jul 2023
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Gestational diabetes is a disorder characterised by abnormally high levels of blood glucose (also called blood sugar) during pregnancy. Affected women do not have diabetes before they are pregnant, and most of these women go back to being nondiabetic soon after the baby is born. The disease has a 30 to 70 percent chance of recurring in subsequent pregnancies. Additionally, about half of women with gestational diabetes develop another form of diabetes, known as type 2 diabetes, within a few years after their pregnancy.
Description
Gestational diabetes is a disorder characterised by abnormally high levels of blood glucose (also called blood sugar) during pregnancy. Affected women do not have diabetes before they are pregnant, and most of these women go back to being nondiabetic soon after the baby is born. The disease has a 30 to 70 percent chance of recurring in subsequent pregnancies. Additionally, about half of women with gestational diabetes develop another form of diabetes, known as type 2 diabetes, within a few years after their pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes is often discovered during the second trimester of pregnancy. Most affected women have no symptoms, and the disease is discovered through routine screening at their obstetrician's office. If untreated, gestational diabetes increases the risk of pregnancy-associated high blood pressure (called preeclampsia) and early (premature) delivery of the baby.
Babies of mothers with gestational diabetes tend to be large (macrosomia), which can cause complications during birth. Infants whose mothers have gestational diabetes are also more likely to develop dangerously low blood glucose levels soon after birth. Later in life, these individuals have an increased risk of developing obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Inheritance patterns
The source lists the following possible inheritance patterns: Pattern unknown. More than one pattern can apply in different cases.
Related genes
Other names
Diabetes mellitus arising in pregnancy
Diabetes mellitus, gestational
Diabetes mellitus, pregnancy related
Diabetes, pregnancy-induced
GDM
Gestational diabetes mellitus
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Further reading and references
- Gestational diabetes; MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
- Bajaj K, Gross SJ. The genetics of diabetic pregnancy. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2015 Jan;29(1):102-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2014.08.008. Epub 2014 Aug 26.
- Catalano PM. The impact of gestational diabetes and maternal obesity on the mother and her offspring. J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2010 Aug;1(4):208-15. doi: 10.1017/S2040174410000115.
- Chen P, Wang S, Ji J, Ge A, Chen C, Zhu Y, Xie N, Wang Y. Risk factors and management of gestational diabetes. Cell Biochem Biophys. 2015 Mar;71(2):689-94. doi: 10.1007/s12013-014-0248-2.
- Damm P, Houshmand-Oeregaard A, Kelstrup L, Lauenborg J, Mathiesen ER, Clausen TD. Gestational diabetes mellitus and long-term consequences for mother and offspring: a view from Denmark. Diabetologia. 2016 Jul;59(7):1396-1399. doi: 10.1007/s00125-016-3985-5. Epub 2016 May 12.
- Kwak SH, Kim SH, Cho YM, Go MJ, Cho YS, Choi SH, Moon MK, Jung HS, Shin HD, Kang HM, Cho NH, Lee IK, Kim SY, Han BG, Jang HC, Park KS. A genome-wide association study of gestational diabetes mellitus in Korean women. Diabetes. 2012 Feb;61(2):531-41. doi: 10.2337/db11-1034. Epub 2012 Jan 10.
- Lowe WL Jr, Scholtens DM, Sandler V, Hayes MG. Genetics of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Maternal Metabolism. Curr Diab Rep. 2016 Feb;16(2):15. doi: 10.1007/s11892-015-0709-z.
- Wu L, Cui L, Tam WH, Ma RC, Wang CC. Genetic variants associated with gestational diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis and subgroup analysis. Sci Rep. 2016 Jul 29;6:30539. doi: 10.1038/srep30539.
- Zhang C, Bao W, Rong Y, Yang H, Bowers K, Yeung E, Kiely M. Genetic variants and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review. Hum Reprod Update. 2013 Jul-Aug;19(4):376-90. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmt013. Epub 2013 May 19.
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