Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes, that is only suffered by pregnant women.
In Gestational diabetes, a woman’s blood sugar is higher than normal because of the other hormones pridcued during preganancy interfere with the insulin that is produced naturally.
Gestational diabetes usually becomes apparent during the 24th to 28th weeks of pregnancy, and, in most cases, disappears of its own accord once the baby is born.
Women with gestational diabetes usually do NOT have an increased risk of having a baby with birth defects.
Generally, sufferers of gestational diabetes have normal blood sugar levels during the critical first stages of the preganancy.
Whilst there can be complications caused by gestational diabetes, these can usually be managed by careful attention to nutrition and blood sugar levels.
Approximately 3 to 5 percent of all pregnant women in the developed world suffer from gestational diabetes.