Health. Risks of gestational diabetes during pregnancy
Were you diagnosed with gestational diabetes during your previous pregnancy? This situation raises many questions. Here's what you need to know to better protect your health, now and in the years to come.
Gestational diabetes is an increase in blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) that occurs during pregnancy and disappears immediately after childbirth. " This diagnosis should not be forgotten once the pregnancy is over ," recalled Dr. Perle Sayedoff, a nutritionist, at the annual congress of French diabetologists (SFD, April 1-4, 2025), based on the latest scientific publications . A woman who has had gestational diabetes has a high risk of developing it again during a future pregnancy, but also of suffering from cardiovascular disease later on. Monitoring must therefore continue immediately after childbirth and for several decades .
After gestational diabetes, what is the risk of developing type 2 diabetes?Women who have experienced gestational diabetes (GDM) have a ten times higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than other women. Their risk of metabolic syndrome is multiplied by two to five, and their risk of cardiovascular disease is almost doubled.
Regarding type 2 diabetes, a recent meta-analysis of 67,000 women with gestational diabetes and approximately 126,000 women without gestational diabetes revealed that the former have an estimated 9.51 times higher relative risk of developing diabetes during a 5- to 10-year follow-up.
These patients must therefore be closely monitored, especially those with certain now-recognized risk factors: a high body mass index, a family history of diabetes, advanced age, and already having children. High fasting glucose levels, high HbA1c, and insulin use during pregnancy also increase this risk.
What is the risk of metabolic syndrome?Regarding the risk of metabolic syndrome – a combination of several disorders linked to the presence of excess fat inside the belly – the relative risk for women with a history of gestational diabetes of developing it is estimated at 3.96, or almost 4. However, " this association with gestational diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular complications ," comments the specialist.
There are several factors such as advanced age, a family history of diabetes or a high BMI.
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One in two women who have had gestational diabetes are at risk of developing it again during a subsequent pregnancy. This risk varies from 30 to 84% depending on the study. A French study conducted on 697 patients estimated this rate at 47.2%.
A new study shows that even though these women who had gestational diabetes did not develop type 2 diabetes, were of normal weight, and their blood sugar levels returned to normal, they still had a higher risk of coronary calcifications (indicating an increased coronary risk) than those who did not have gestational diabetes. Therefore, gestational diabetes itself is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. And just because a woman's blood sugar levels return to normal after giving birth does not mean the risk is eliminated.
Due to the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes, “ screening is recommended during the postnatal visit, before a new pregnancy, then every one to three years, depending on risk factors (obesity, insulin treatment, borderline blood sugar, high blood pressure, etc.), lists Dr. Perle Sayedoff. In case of risk factors, closer monitoring is necessary.” This monitoring must be maintained for at least 25 years!
THE screening can be performed by a fasting blood glucose measurement or an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
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