Question: What causes What I need to know about Gestational Diabetes ?
Answer: Gestational diabetes happens when your body can't make enough insulin during pregnancy. Insulin is a hormone made in your pancreas, an organ located behind your stomach. Insulin helps your body use glucose for energy and helps control your blood glucose levels. During pregnancy, your body makes more hormones and goes through other changes, such as weight gain. These changes cause your body's cells to use insulin less effectively, a condition called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance increases your body's need for insulin. If your pancreas can't make enough insulin, you will have gestational diabetes. All pregnant women have some insulin resistance during late pregnancy. However, some women have insulin resistance even before they get pregnant, usually because they are overweight. These women start pregnancy with an increased need for insulin and are more likely to have gestational diabetes. What are my chances of getting gestational diabetes? Your chances of getting gestational diabetes are higher if you - are overweight - have had gestational diabetes before - have given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds - have a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes - have prediabetes, meaning your blood glucose levels are higher than normal yet not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes - are African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latina, or Pacific Islander American - have a hormonal disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS
Source: NIDDK