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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffAny woman can develop gestational diabetes, but some women are at greater risk. Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:
- Age greater than 25. Women older than age 25 are more likely to develop gestational diabetes.
- Family or personal health history. Your risk of developing gestational diabetes increases if you have prediabetes — slightly elevated blood sugar that may be a precursor to type 2 diabetes — or if a close family member, such as a parent or sibling, has type 2 diabetes. You're also more likely to develop gestational diabetes if you had it during a previous pregnancy, if you delivered a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds (4.1 kilograms), or if you had an unexplained stillbirth.
- Excess weight. You're more likely to develop gestational diabetes if you're significantly overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.
- Nonwhite race. For reasons that aren't clear, women who are black, Hispanic, American Indian or Asian are more likely to develop gestational diabetes.
References
- Cunningham FG, et al. Diabetes. In: Cunningham FG, et al. Williams Obstetrics. 23rd ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=46. Accessed Dec. 27, 2010.
- Strehlow SL, et al. Diabetes mellitus & pregnancy. In: DeCherney AH, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Obstetrics & Gynecology. 10th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=9. Accessed Dec. 27, 2010.
- Reece EA, et al. Diabetes mellitus and pregnancy. In: Gibbs RS, et al. Danforth's Obstetrics and Gynecology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Wolters Kluwer Health Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008. http://www.danforthsobgyn.com. Accessed Dec. 27, 2010.
- Caughey AB. Obstetrical management of pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 27, 2010.
- Jovanovic L. Treatment and course of gestational diabetes mellitus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 27, 2010.
- Jovanovic L. Screening and diagnosis of diabetes mellitus during pregnancy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 27, 2010.
- Paglia MJ, et al. Gestational diabetes: Evolving diagnostic criteria. Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology. In press. http://journals.lww.com/co-obgyn/Abstract/publishahead/Gestational_diabetes__evolving_diagnostic_criteria.99838.aspx. Accessed Feb.1, 2011.
- Kim C. Gestational diabetes: Risks, management, and treatment options. International Journal of Women's Health. 2010;2:339.
- Blatt AJ, et al. Gaps in diabetes screening during pregnancy and postpartum. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2011;117:161.
- HAPO Study Cooperative Research Group. Hyperglycemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes. New England Journal of Medicine. 2008;358:1991.
- Metzger BE, et al. International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups Recommendations on the Diagnosis and Classification of Hyperglycemia in Pregnancy. Diabetes Care. 2010;33:676.
- Manning FA. The fetal biophysical profile. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 31, 2010.
- Standards of medical care in diabetes — 2011. Diabetes Care. 2011;34(suppl):11.
- Health care guideline: Routine prenatal Care. Bloomington, Minn.: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. 2010. http://www.icsi.org/prenatal_care_4/prenatal_care__routine__full_version__2.htm. Accessed Feb. 1, 2011.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Practice Bulletin. Clinical management guidelines for obstetrician-gynecologists. Number 30, September 2001 (replaces Technical Bulletin Number 200, December 1994). Gestational diabetes. Obstetrics and gynecology. 2001;98:525.
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