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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Will my gestational diabetes go away?

    Related Topics
    Endocrinology Gestational Diabetes
    I have been told I have gestational diabetes and that it should resolve after the birth. Is there any chance that it won’t go away?
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    Carolien Koreneff

    Counsellor, Credentialled Diabetes Educator (CDE), Diabetes Educator, Psychotherapist, Registered Nurse

    Carolien Koreneff is a Somatic (body-oriented) psychotherapist, Health Coach, Counsellor as well as a Credentialed Diabetes Educator with over 20 years experience. She currently sees … View Profile

    Hi,

    As Helen already reported, in most cases the blood glucose levels will return to normal as soon as the placenta is born, so the diabetes would disappear literally minutes after the baby is born.  You are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life and hence it is recommended that you have another glucose tolerance test 3 months after the delivery and if normal, every 1-2 years afterwards.  Your GP can help you organise these OGTTs.  There is a 50% chance of developing diabetes in the next 10 years and so lifestyle factors such as living an active lifestyle with mostly healthy food choices are important.  Feel free to contact me if you like more information.
    For now, enjoy your pregnancy  and your new born baby, making sure to take some time out for yourself from time to time so you can do some exercise, even if it is just taking the little one for a walk around the block. All the little bits help, except when you eat your children's left overs, they just hinder as they tend to go straight to the hips/thighs in the form of fat (if you get my drift). So keep watching your portion sizes and enjoy life!
    Good luck and congratulations.

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    Kristina Craner

    Diabetes Educator

    Kristina Craner is a passionate Diabetes Educator with the knowledge and skills to empower people to manage their own diabetes. Fully qualified with a Bachelor … View Profile

    Just an addition to the answers below…There is a chance diabetes does not go away - however in the instances often it is becuase there was pre-existing Type 2 Diabetes - which the patient did not even realise.

    Essential diabetes care will be commencing group education programs for women with Gestational Diabetes visit www.edcare.com.au for more information

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    Arlene Normand

    Dietitian

    Arlene is a registered practising dietitian, with a private practice in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, and has built a strong business over the last … View Profile

    In most cases of true Gestational Diabetes it is gone as soon as the placenta is expelled. With Gestational Diabetes, it is related to hormones since the pregnancy hormones cause your cells to be insulin resistant. In the majority of pregnant women, their pancreas is able to produce additional insulin so that the “sugar” (not white table sugar, but what is produced from eating carbohydrates) can still be moved from the blood stream into the cells. In about 8-14% of pregnant women, their pancreas is not able to keep up with the demand so too much “sugar” remains in the blood and doesn't get into the cells properly. For some women, they still have diabetic symptoms even after the baby (placenta) is born, but most of them are thought to probably have had undetected Type 2 (rarely Type 1, but not impossible) Diabetes even before they were pregnant. There is some genetic connection with Diabetes. If the Gestational Diabetes does not go away after the birth and your family has a strong history of Diabetes, than the likelihood that you had undetected Diabetes before the pregnancy is quite high. Many people have no strong symptoms of Diabetes, especially in the early development, pre Diabetic stages of Glucose Intolerance and Insulin Resistance. It is most common for the Gestational Diabetes to be gone, but you should check with the health care provider who is working with you, probably a Diabetes Educator or nurse who is monitoring your blood glucose numbers and overseeing your food plan. Speak with your doctor, too, about your concerns. If they didn't give you much in the way of information, than ask for some things about Gestational Diabetes.

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    Kate Marsh

    Credentialled Diabetes Educator (CDE), Diabetes Educator, Dietitian

    Kate works with clients with type 1 and gestational diabetes, PCOS, and those following a plant-based (vegetarian or vegan) diet. As a diabetes educator, she … View Profile

    In most cases gestational diabetes will go away as soon as your baby is born, but as others have explained, it is possible that it won't if you may have had previously undiagnosed diabetes.  Assuming it does go away there is unfortunately a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life but the good news is that GDM is an early warning about your risk and gives you the opportunity to make changes to reduce this risk.  There are many lifestyle changes you can make which can help including eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and reducing sedentary time, keeping your weight healthy and getting enough sleep. 

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  • 1

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    Kate Marsh

    Credentialled Diabetes Educator (CDE), Diabetes Educator, Dietitian

    Kate works with clients with type 1 and gestational diabetes, PCOS, and those following a plant-based (vegetarian or vegan) diet. As a diabetes educator, she … View Profile

    In most cases gestational diabetes will go away as soon as your baby is born, but as others have explained, it is possible that it won't if you may have had previously undiagnosed diabetes.  Assuming it does go away there is unfortunately a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life but the good news is that GDM is an early warning about your risk and gives you the opportunity to make changes to reduce this risk.  There are many lifestyle changes you can make which can help including eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and reducing sedentary time, keeping your weight healthy and getting enough sleep. 

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