Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that appears when a woman is pregnant. It occurs in about 4% of all pregnant women.
Women at highest risk for developing gestational diabetes include:
- women who have had babies weighing 9 pounds or more
- have a family history of diabetes
- are older
- or are overweight
In all pregnant women, the placenta produces hormones. Sometimes these hormones cause the body to not respond to the insulin as well as usual. This may cause gestational diabetes. As the pregnancy progresses, the placenta produces a higher level of these hormones. More insulin is needed to maintain normal glucose levels. If the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin, then gestational diabetes occurs.
What is Diabetes?
What are Complications?
Copyright 2006 Medicine Shoppe International, a Cardinal Health company. All rights reserved.
These materials were adapted from Life with Diabetes: A Series of Teaching Outlines, American Diabetes Association, 2000, Diabetes Care, Volume 27, Supplement 1, January 2004 and Diabetes Forecast, January 2006. Byetta package label. http://www.fda.gov/cder/foi/label/2005/021773lbl.pdf, and Symlin package label. http://www.fda.gov/cder/foi/label/2005/021332lbl.pdf