- According to
the CDC , diabetes during pregnancy has increased over the past several years. Between 2000 and 2010, the percentage of people with gestational diabetes increased by 56 percent. - Researchers have discovered that specific diabetic protein precursors were found early in pregnancy and those who had them had a higher chance of developing type 1 diabetes later in life.
- Diabetes during pregnancy can increase the risk of birth defects, stillbirths, and preterm births. Having good glucose management can decrease the risk of needing a C-section or having a baby that’s too large.
Gestational diabetes is diabetes that develops during pregnancy. This type of diabetes is common and affects millions of people each year.
New research suggests that many people who experience gestational diabetes will go on to develop diabetes later in life outside of pregnancy — and there may be early markers to predict it.
Researchers from Helsinki University Hospital assessed 391 women who gave birth between 1984 and 1994 at Oulu University Hospital and developed gestational diabetes.
The researchers discovered that specific autoantibodies, or diabetic protein precursors, were found early in pregnancy and those who had them had a higher chance of developing type 1 diabetes later in life.
Women who had gestational diabetes also had a significantly higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
In the study, researchers used follow-up questionnaires in 2012–2013, an average of 23 years later. They found that 5.7 percent of those who had gestational diabetes went on to develop type 1 diabetes. Further, 50.4 percent developed type 2 diabetes, many times within 5 to 10 years after delivery.
Source: healthline