Women who develop gestational diabetes during a pregnancy have a one-in- three chance of having it in a subsequent pregnancy. That is the conclusion of a Canadian study of 650 women over a 16-year period, which found a 35.6% rate of recurrence of gestational diabetes.

Having a large baby the first time and being overweight prior to the second pregnancy both predicted a recurrence of gestational diabetes. The researchers suggested that strategies to reduce the birth of large babies to women with gestational diabetes and to prevent pre-pregnancy obesity may help to lower the rate of recurrence.

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