Did a past pregnancy put my health at risk?

Q:

Twenty years ago, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I had gestational diabetes. I recently read that this increases my risk of developing type 2 diabetes. What do you recommend I do to prevent this from happening?

A:

It’s true: The state of your health during pregnancy can affect your health risks many years later. Gestational diabetes, for instance, is an early sign that your body may be predisposed to insulin resistance, making you seven times more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes down the road. What’s more, research published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that women with gestational diabetes had a 43% increase in their risk for heart attack and stroke up to 26 years following their pregnancy. And other pregnancy conditions—gestational hypertension, preeclampsia or eclampsia—also can increase the risk of cardiovascular issues later in life. Some doctors have even started referring to pregnancy as “nature’s stress test.”

The good news is that some simple lifestyle changes can help reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes— and keep cardiovascular issues at bay. I advise my patients to make daily exercise a priority, eat more plantbased foods and fiber and consume less sodium and fewer processed foods and sugary beverages.

But it’s important to let all of your doctors know that you had gestational diabetes—no matter how long ago that was. Sharing this information will allow them to effectively assess your current and future risks and recommend specific preventive measures. This may include more frequent blood pressure checks and/or screenings for elevated blood sugar or hemoglobin A1C, which reflects your average blood-sugar level over the past two to three months.