A form of diabetes mellitus which develops in a pregnant woman.
A carbohydrate intolerance, in variable severity, with onset first recognized during pregnancy. Detected during screening between 24 and 28 weeks gestation with a 50-g oral glucose test. If results at 1-hour postprandial are ≥140 mg/dL, the oral glucose tolerance test is used to confirm diagnosis.
A condition of insulin resistance in pregnant women in which the effects of the hormone insulin, which is produced by the pancreas, are partially blocked by other hormones produced by the placenta. These hormones—including estrogen, cortisol, and human placental lactogen—are essential for a healthy pregnancy. However, they induce a resistance to insulin, resulting in an increase in the insulin requirement. If the pancreas is incapable of making enough insulin to meet the increased requirement during pregnancy, gestational diabetes develops. Most cases of gestational diabetes develop during the latter half of pregnancy and resolve after childbirth, when the placenta is delivered and the hormone elevations associated with pregnancy drop.
A form of diabetes that has its onset or is first diagnosed during pregnancy. In this condition, the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin to counteract the hormones produced during pregnancy that increase the sugar level in the blood. Women who are older than 30 years, obese, have a family history of diabetes, or have had problems with a pregnancy before, such as a stillbirth or an unusually large baby, are considered to be at risk for gestational diabetes. About 5 percent of pregnant women develop this condition, usually between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy.
Diabetes mellitus that begins during pregnancy as a result of changes in glucose metabolism and insulin resistance.
Gestational diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that exclusively manifests during pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes mellitus that develops during pregnancy and typically resolves after childbirth.