• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

When does Gestational Diabetes lead on to Pre-Diabetes or T2?

Cocosilk

Well-Known Member
Messages
818
Location
Australia
Type of diabetes
Gestational
Treatment type
Insulin
I just have a few questions about anyone's experience of having Gestational Diabetes and whether it progressed to Pre-diabetes or T2 within a few years. I'd love to hear about your experiences!

Did you have GDM while pregnant and then end up with Pre-diabetes within a few years?

While you had GDM, did you have trouble controlling your morning fasting AND daytime post meal levels with diet alone?

If your managed to control your post meal levels with diet, how high were your fasting levels and did you have to take medication for just high fasting levels?




I've just been diagnosed with GDM after my morning fasting levels were slightly higher than they should be. I wonder now after a week of changing my diet and managing to bring my day time levels into the normal range, will I have a better chance of it not progressing to T2, or does being able to control your daytime levels not mean anything if your fasting level are stubborn?
 
I had first gd pregnancy in 2013 had 2nd gd pregnancy in 2017 delivered in jan 2018 .I am prediabetic now diagnosed at post pregnancy ogtt
.
During both of my pregnancies I was on insulin.
Within 5 years of first gd pregnancy I developed prediabetes
 
I had gestational diabetes in my second pregnancy which I controlled by diet and testing. After the birth my bg went back to normal, although I think I have always suffered from reactive hypoglycaemia. 16 years later I was diagnosed with Type 2. I deeply regret that I did not monitor my glucose levels during the intervening period, as I may have been able to lessen my build up of insulin resistance. And I don't understand why the doctors don't keep an eye on those who have had GD. If the Internet had been invented 20 years earlier, my life would be very different! My advice to you would be to keep an eye on your glucose levels (use a meter to test fasting levels every now and again) and keep in touch with this forum for information if you have any concerns. All the best with your pregnancy.
 
I had GD when pregnant with my daughter. I was diet controlled although it wasn’t good control as I was young and followed my doctors advice of shredded wheat for breakfast, brown bread for lunch etc.
I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes 5 years later.
I don’t know the stats and figures for what percentage of people with GD go on to progress to T2. But I do think it’s good you’re doing you’re best now to control your levels and agree with @mariavontrapp that occasionally monitoring levels after having your baby would be a good idea so that should it develop you would catch it early and be able to take control of it sooner
 

Yes, I am very grateful to be living at a time when we can access such forums over the internet. Also that there seems to be some new opinions on how to manage or reverse diabetes that might be working for people. I'm not taking anything for granted - in fact, I'm almost preparing myself for pre-diabetes postnatally because of my age (44 years old) because "later in life" that many Gestationally diabetic women end up with T2, could be just around the corner for me if it hits people in their 50s... I'm taking it pretty seriously. I know how much cake and chocolate I have eaten in my life

Have you tried any of the recommendations on such sites as Diet Doctor (Have you seen any of Jason Fung or Sarah Hallberg's talks on Youtube)? It's hard to give up most carbs for life, but it sounds like those who manage to limit their carb intake to next to nothing at least get a change to stop their medications, which might feel like a victory in itself. It's a very emotional journey though. It's only been a couple of weeks for me and I was already dreaming about eating cake last night... I never dream about food normally.. ha ha . And I could even taste it when I woke up. It was like dreaming about an ex who I'd recently broken up with but was still in love with. How long it takes to move on from sweets and all of the rituals that go along with them, I don't know... But I guess if your health improves as you change your diet, it must make you stronger in other ways I guess. I'm preparing for that long road. I doubt I'm going to get away with returning to my old sweet friends without serious consequences...
 

Ah yes, the dreaded diet recommendations... I ate 4 Vita Brits with a teaspn of honey and milk 2 days after I was diagnosed because I noticed they say certain breakfast cereals should be okay (albeit perhaps without the honey ) but my levels spiked to 9.0 (1hr) and 8.0 two hours after that meal and my target is 6.7 after a meal so I knew that was not going to be something I could eat again safely... If I ate half of what is recommended in my booklet, I would be on insulin already I think.

I've been very strict and managed yesterday to avoid all grain sources of carbs for an entire day - woah! That was actually not easy to do when I've been eating bread, cake, cereals, biscuits, etc. my whole life and today I was just too hungry to do it again so I ate a small slice of my husband's sourdough rye with 6 raspberries and later I had half a cup of Cannelli beans and also 1/4 of an apple in my salad and none of those things took my spikes above 6.7 at the 1 hour mark, so they seem safe enough. I don't have to have none at all, which makes me luckier than some. But I do feel deprived... Deprived or not though, I feel lucky to have this diagnosis now and the knowledge to be on the lookout. It seems many in previous years were not well warned.

But I don't know if I can expect to return to my old eating habits. So even if I seem to get away with eating naughty carbs again postnatally , I think it's probably only a matter or time before it would take a toll on my health. So I would be putting my head in the sand to think I can ignore this warning now. And I'll have to start eating as though I will have pre-diabetes postnatally to avoid getting worse I think.
 
ringi said:
From what I have read on twitter this seems to be a well respected book. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Real-Food-Gestational-Diabetes-Conventional/dp/0986295000

Click to expand...
I was actually listening last night to some youtube videos of the lady who wrote this book. I am already trying to eat like this. It's hard to let go of grains though. Yesterday I had an entire day of no grains or legume carbs - just a few raspberries and half an apple and otherwise all meat/fish/dairy and lots of vegetables. Then I had a dream last night that I was eating cake... I never dream about food but it goes to show how psychologically affected I was from even one day of not having even a piece of bread... . I think it's going to be a long road to being completely free of grain-based carbs. They are so addictive sadly. But I guess when your health is on the line, you have to keep at it! What types and amount of carbs do you typically eat in a day?
 

DO you remember any of your numbers on the tests?

I had a GTT in 2014 during my first pregnancy and it came back fine (Fasting 4.5; 1hr 8.7; 2hr 6.4), then my OB for my 2nd pregnancy in 2015/2016 didn't push me to have the test. My 2nd baby was a bit bigger than my first (3.90kg boy vs 3.09kg girl) but I did have preeclampsia at the end of my first pregnancy. My 2nd baby didn't show any signs of hypoglycemia so I can assume my levels were still okay last pregnancy.
But my recent GTT, 3rd baby, was Fasting 5.1 (they want under 5.1 now in Australia); 1hr 9.7 (under 10 ok); 2 hr 7.4 (under 8.5 ok). The fasting level scraped me in with a diagnosis. So now the target BG levels for pregnant women that I have to follow at home if I want to stay off Metformin or insulin are less than 5.1 morning fasting (I'm getting more 5.3 this week); and 6.7 for 2 hours after a meal.
I can only manage that if I eat very minimal carbs. I tried a 4 VitaBrits with a teasp of honey and milk last week and my 2 hour post meal was 8.0. They wouldn't like to see that very often if I am managing it with diet alone.
Morning fasting levels are stubborn. I've tried a snack before bed. I've tried to fast 12 hours overnight. I do sometimes get my level down to 5.1 before breakfast, but if I only get 6 - 7 hours sleep, on waking, I'm always 5.3 or 5.4 this week. I know these numbers are still quite low and probably don't quite get me in the pre-diabetic level, although if I was getting 8.0 after my meals, maybe that would be considered pre-diabetic if that started happening after the baby was born? ?

What numbers do they use to diagnose gestational and pre-diabetes where you are?
 
Hi,
My 3 rd baby weighed 9lbs 4oz ...i wasn't diabetes in that pregnancy. I had GD with my 4th pregnancy which was a twin pregnancy. I was controlled with diet as it was 25 years ago and metformin was not used at that time. Apparently I was prediabetic 4 years ago but only because they changed the goal post the year after mine were done although nobody bothered to tell me !!
I do my blood sugars myself regularly and use this site but for what ever reason forgot to go to GP for a hba1c over the last 3 years. I noticed my fasting blood was creeping up so started on blood sugar 8 week diet . my Hba1c is now 41 which is no longer pre diabetic.
I think that if I had not exercised regularly and not watched my diet I would have been type 2 by now.
Also all ladies who have had GD should be having a yearly HbA1C , GP'S do not appear to be aware of this so its up to you to make sure its done ....only saying that because my GP never ever arranged it for me I had to go in and ask .
 

I am in Australia (Sydney)
First of all right now don't worry about prediabetes no one can diagnose you as a prediabetic during pregnancy clinically it is not possible, both your ogtt are normal.
Fasting levels in gd pregnancy solely depends on pregnancy hormones you can't control your fasting by any means if your levels are increasing.Medications are for our help insulin and metformin both are safe during pregnancy. Your fasting levels are increasing it means your placenta is healthy and it is growing .Try to take things easy do your best but don't take stress for anything.
I had 2 successful gd pregnancies without any complications both my kids are healthy I was on insulin and metformin .
Once you are done with your pregnancy go for ogtt after 6 week (6to 8) .It will show you the exact results for prediabetes or normal levels.
 


I just realised we were talking across 2 different threads.. lol I've probably asked you the same question 4 times.. ha ha

So I see you found out you were prediabetic just 6 weeks or so after giving birth the last time? That's what I'm worried about because I didn't check for 4 years from the last GTT and before falling pregnant the last two times so it may have already been heading that way. But you're right, I'll have to wait till after baby comes to know for sure. I'm just trying to prepare myself now so I can start grieving cakes now and not have it all hit me when I'm trying to breastfeed

If you are diagnosed prediabetic and still breastfeeding, do they give you meds? Or do you just use diet to control it when it's only prediabetes?
 
My hba1c is only 28 fasting was 4.8 after 2 hours 8.4
So my numbers are not that bad, I am still breastfeeding my 14 month old baby without any problem.
 
hazelzac said:
My hba1c is only 28 fasting was 4.8 after 2 hours 8.4
So my numbers are not that bad, I am still breastfeeding my 14 month old baby without any problem.
Click to expand...

No medicine for prediabetes
 
Dear Cocosilk, I'm 43, had GDM in 2017 and discovered to have prediabetes in june 2018. I'm italian and I sadly found out that physicians are not interested in woman's health after she gives birth.
I did not use meds or insulin during pregnancy, I managed to control sugar levels with diet only. I used to write down 6 values per day: fasting and postprandial value for the 3 main meals. My values were bad for less than 30% of the total detection. That is the limit under which they do not prescribe insulin.
But now I have prediabetes anyway.
I've just subscribed on this forum aiming to gather as much information as I can because I'd like to have another baby but I don't know if it's safe...
Good luck to you and your baby. Do control your diabetes but do not get stressed about it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…