What is Gestational Diabetes? World Diabetes Day 2017

The theme for World Diabetes Day 2017 is Women and Diabetes. This year's campaign aims to raise awareness of Gestational Diabetes (GDM), a severe and neglected threat to maternal and child health. The campaign aims to improve global access to essential medicine, treatment technologies, & self-management education.

What is gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is hyperglycaemia, or high blood sugar, which develops during pregnancy. For women with gestational diabetes, the body cannot produce enough insulin to meet the extra needs of pregnancy. GDM is most common in the second half of pregnancy, though it can occur at any stage. Approximately one in seven births is affected by gestational diabetes.

Complications of gestational diabetes

Many women with GDM experience complications with their pregnancy, including high blood pressure, large birth-weight babies and obstructed labour. Approximately half of women with gestational diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes within five to ten years after delivery. This in turn creates additional healthcare costs and complications.

Gestational diabetes statistics:

• The International Diabetes Federation estimates that 20.9 million or 16.2% of live births to women in 2015 had some form of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy
• Half of all cases of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy occur in women under the age of thirty
• Most cases of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy occur in low- and middle-income countries, where access to maternal care is often limited