“If I had diabetes during pregnancy, are there chances I will get the disease later in life?”
I read a report that said women who have gestational diabetes, tend to have diabetes after their pregnancy. What are the chances that this will happen? I've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes in my third trimester.
5 Answers
Your chance of developing diabetes after the pregnancy is increased, especially if you do not adhere to a healthy diet. Daily aerobic exercise is important, in addition to staying at your ideal body weight, to reduce the risk of later diabetes.
Yes, people who had gestational diabetes are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes following their pregnancy. To avoid that consequence, weight control is most important using a plant-based, low-carb, low-fat diet. Exercise is also helpful in weight control.
Marvin A. Leder, MD, FACP, FACE
Marvin A. Leder, MD, FACP, FACE
Type II Diabetes is the out of control genetics linked to anti starving. The increased metabolic load of a pregnancy reveals the underlying condition, and it usually goes away after the baby is born. It will return but can be delayed by good dietary habits, exercise and maintaining a near ideal weight.
YES! And if you maintain an ideal body weight, eat healthy, and exercise, you will prevent this from happening.
Yes! The decompensation rate for persons with gestational diabetes to full blown diabetes is about 5%/yr. So, in 10 years, 50% of the ladies will have diabetes. You can influence this. A study done a few years ago called the Diabetes Prevention Trial (DPT) showed that lifestyle changes (diet, wt. loss, & exercise) would reduce the rate of progression to full blown diabetes over the course of the study by 60%. If you have a YMCA near by, they now have this program & can help you for a very low price. I can't answer your question of your chances beyond this without knowing more about you, such as your wt & ht (BMI) & how severe your gestational diabetes was. Just based on national figures, though, the chances are as above, about 5%/yr. Age, body wt., family history of diabetes, etc., can modify this rate both ways. Get a good diet & exercise program, continue to check your blood sugar levels both fasting & after meals on occasion, & get a HbA1c test whenever your physician does other blood testing. Work at it and you can put it off.
Good luck!
Good luck!
