Gestational Diabetes
What Increases Your Risk
You have an increased chance of developing gestational diabetes if:
- You are 35 or older when you become pregnant.
- You have had gestational diabetes before.
- You have given birth to a baby who weighed more than 4 kg (9 lb).
- You have a parent or sibling who has type 2 diabetes.
- You are not physically active before pregnancy.
- You are obese (your body mass index [BMI] is 30 or higher).
- You are a member of a racial/ethnic group that has a high risk of developing diabetes, such as women of Hispanic, Aboriginal, Asian, South Asian, or African descent.
- You have polycystic ovary syndrome.
- You have a dark skin rash on the back or your neck or in folds on your body.
- You take corticosteroid medicine.
- You have a history of pre-diabetes.
- You have a history of problems during pregnancy.
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| Author: | Alison Allen Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS | Last Updated: February 12, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Lois Jovanovic, MD - Endocrinology Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine | |
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