DIABETES QUESTION OF MONTH - Health BeatIf you’re living with diabetes or have been recently diagnosed, you surely have questions and concerns about this chronic condition. This is the next installment in a series of frequently asked questions about diabetes, with answers from a Spectrum Health team of doctors, nurses and dietitians.

Question:

I had gestational diabetes during my pregnancies, but then it subsided after the pregnancies were over. Is that an indicator of something coming down the road?

Answer:

A woman who has gestational diabetes during a pregnancy has about a 60 percent chance of developing Type 2 diabetes later in her life–especially if she is overweight, or she doesn’t exercise during the pregnancy. The situation is different, however, for someone who makes lifestyle changes that include weight loss and regular exercise.

Having gestational diabetes, then, could be considered a wakeup call because the potential exists to develop Type 2 diabetes. But a lot of that likelihood for diabetes to develop after pregnancy has to do with lifestyle choices.

The National Institutes of Health has produced a booklet, What I Need to Know About Gestational Diabetes, which is available at www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov.