Will the fetus have diabetes if the mother has gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is a common complication during pregnancy, characterized by elevated levels during glucose tolerance tests conducted while a woman is pregnant. Gestational diabetes can significantly affect both the mother and fetus, but actively controlling blood sugar can generally minimize these impacts.
If a baby is born to a mother with gestational diabetes, this baby has a higher likelihood of developing diabetes later in life compared to the general population, but it does not necessarily mean that they will. This is because such babies have a genetic predisposition and might experience insufficient pancreatic function as adults, which can lead to diabetes.
Therefore, it is important for these newborns to undergo regular blood sugar monitoring as adults to determine if they have diabetes, and if so, to seek proactive treatment.