Type 2 diabetes after gestational

[123beean]

Has anyone gone on to develop type 2 diabetes after having gestational diabetes?

I was diagnosed with GD a week after my son was born early at 37 weeks due to lack in growth. I had complained about symptoms and had sugar in urine for at least 2 months prior to diagnosis and kept being fobbed off as 'I didn't fit the criteria' (no family history, wasn't overweight and had a low sugar diet). Obviously when I finally got the diagnosis after taking my blood sugars regularly etc I was no longer pregnant so no treatment was given.

Now ds is 19 months, I've been having headaches, shortness of breath, always thirsty. I had a blood test and HBA1C came back normal, but a raised red blood count.

The doctors said they don't need to do any further tests and basically that's that. Understandably I don't trust them after what happened with GD during my pregnancy.

Does anyone have any knowledge or experience that could help me?

Thanks!

People who have had GD are supposed to have an annual HBA1C blood test as they are more at risk of developing diabetes. However, if yours is normal, then they are happy it isn’t that.

What did they say about your other results? What were all other blood tests did they do? Maybe ask reception for a print out so you can see all the results and the lab reference ranges of all the tests so you can see how raised your Red blood count was.

Yes, I have. It was diagnosed 10+ years after pregnancy and I was warned but didn’t honestly do anything to prevent it 😕.

I wish I had though - I could have kept my weight and sugar intake low but I didn’t. I would advise you to take it seriously. It’s horrid and I’m really struggling to get my levels under control.

Have you been checked for iron (specifically ferritin) levels as these can give similar symptoms to those you’re describing.