Gestational diabetes is more likley to occur if a person has certain risk factors but it can also occur without any identifiable risk. Risk factors are either fixed and are unable to be changed, called non-modifiable risk factors, such as your ethnicity, age or family history.
There are some risk factors, modifiable risk factors, can be changed. These include your weight, diet, and the amount you exercise. When planning for pregnancy, adjusting these modifiable risk factors are a great place to start to help reduce your risk of developing gestational diabetes. Some changes are around diet and weight management and is part of preparing for pregnancy.