A pregnant woman presents to her doctor with complaints of frequent thirst, excess fatigue, and is found to be prone to infections. The doctor examines her and orders for a few tests and diagnoses her with having developed ‘gestational diabetes mellitus’ or GDM. While diabetes has long been a health concern in the country, what exactly is gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and what does it mean? We are here to give you a better understanding. Several studies have shown that the prevalence of gestational diabetes is rising in India, with Indian women genetically predisposed to it. One study pegs the prevalence of GDM in south India to be 17.8% in urban women, 13.8% in semi-urban women and 9.9% in rural women.
“Gestational diabetes is nothing more than a condition in which a woman who is not diabetic and has normal blood sugar levels prior to pregnancy, develops diabetes during pregnancy as a result of several hormonal changes which take place in the body,” explains Dr Paresh Ved. “What should be noted is that mos