Gestational Diabetes (GDM) is any elevation in a woman’s blood glucose that is first recognized during pregnancy. A woman’s risk of having GDM should be assessed at her first prenatal visit. If it is determined she is not at initial risk, she should again be screened during 24-28 weeks gestation.
GDM currently occurs in 7% of all pregnancies in the United States. Every pregnant women is screened for GDM at Women who are diagnosed with GDM have approximately a 50% risk of developing diabetes within 5-15 years of their delivery.
The good news is that there are several healthy lifestyle habits that women who had GDM can implement to reduce their chances of becoming diabetic later on in life. To lower your risk of developing diabetes, try to achieve a healthy body weight. Start with a goal of reducing your body weight 5-7% by implementing physical activity into your daily routine. Exercising at least 30 minutes on most days of the week will help keep your blood sugars normal. Physical activity helps lower your blood sugar for 24-48 hours after your activity.
Another way to lower your chances of developing diabetes is to breastfeed your newborn, ideally for up to 2 years. Not only will this reduce your risk by over 50%, but your child will be 20-50% less likely to become overweight as an adult…those are motivating statistics if you ask me!
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