Question
A woman developed gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Three months postpartum, her blood sugar level was 6, with all other indicators normal. Is there any concern or association with this situation?
Answer
Gestational diabetes is common in mothers with overweight fetuses. Some patients may see their blood sugar levels return to normal after giving birth, but some women are at a higher risk of developing diabetes between 5 to 10 years postpartum. If the test was for fasting blood sugar and the level was still higher than the normal range (normal fasting blood sugar is 3.9-6.1), although it hasn’t reached the diagnostic criteria for diabetes (diabetics need a fasting blood sugar of 7.0 and a 2-hour postprandial blood sugar of 11.1), this situation falls under impaired glucose tolerance, indicating a tendency to develop diabetes but not yet diagnosed as diabetes.