GESTATIONAL DIABETES
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. In about 3 to 5 percent of all pregnancies, a routine blood test performed between week 24 and 28 of pregnancy will reveal that a woman has gestational diabetes. A woman with gestational diabetes usually needs to modify her diet and perhaps take insulin or other medications to normalize her glucose levels and avoid harm to her baby. When medication is necessary, doctors usually prescribe insulin, but other oral medications are also available. Many women with gestational diabetes return to normal glucose levels after pregnancy, but they have about a 50 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes within the next five to ten years.
TYPES OF DIABETES
Type 1 (<10 percent of those with diabetes): An autoimmune destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas resulting in absolute insulin deficiency
Type 2 (>90 percent of those with diabetes): Progressive problem secreting insulin and meeting demands imposed by insulin resistance
Gestational diabetes (GDM): High blood sugar usually diagnosed after the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy; often resolves after delivery
