When pregnant women hear they have diabetes, often their first thought is, what did I do wrong?

The answer is: nothing. The cause of gestational diabetes – a condition characterized by dangerously high levels of blood sugar in pregnant women – has long been a mystery.

And more moms-to-be are likely to be diagnosed now. That’s because blood sugar levels previously thought to be normal pose a risk to mother and baby, according to a recent study by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

About 5%-8% of pregnant women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes. But as a result of new blood sugar guidelines, that number could climb to 16%.

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To many women, pregnancy is a nifty excuse to pig out. After all, the baby needs calories, right? But it’s easy to pack on too much weight, which can lead to gestational diabetes.

And that, in turn, can put your baby at risk.

A new study has found that babies born to obese mothers with gestational diabetes are at increased risk of becoming obese by age 11. That puts the kids at risk of developing type 2 diabetes themselves.  Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t have diabetes? Your blood sugar levels can still cause you problems during and after pregnancy.

A new study conducted by doctors at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital shows that women with gestational glucose intolerance (also known as “pre-diabetes”) are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease later on.

A recent WiserPregnancy survey has found that although only 6% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes, others suffer from blood sugar intolerance.

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