Who Is at Higher Risk
Reviewed by CDE Mehandi Sharma · Updated
Certain factors make GDM more likely. Knowing them is useful for deciding when to test, and much less useful as an explanation after a diagnosis.
The recognised risk factors are:
- GDM in a previous pregnancy.
- Having previously delivered a large baby, over about 4 kg.
- Being overweight, by Indian rather than international thresholds.
- A family history of Type 2 diabetes.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
- Belonging to a higher-risk ethnic group — which includes South Asians.
Age and genetics contribute as well.
Two things are worth understanding about this list. The first is that South Asian ethnicity is itself a risk factor, and Indian weight thresholds are lower than international ones — overweight starts at a BMI of 23 rather than 25, and abdominal obesity at a waist of 80 cm in women. So a body that looks unremarkable by Western charts may not be low risk here.
The second is that this list does not determine your outcome. Plenty of women with several risk factors never develop GDM, and plenty with none do. It is a reason to be tested attentively, not a verdict.
If you have had GDM before, tell your doctor at your first visit — you will usually be tested earlier.