Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Symptoms, Definition & Prevention: Diet & Exercise During Pregnancy Prevents GDM

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About 9.2% of pregnant women have gestational diabetes, according to a 2014 analysis by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined by the American Diabetes Association as "any degree of glucose intolerance with onset or first recognition during pregnancy." While the real cause of GDM is yet to be uncovered, pregnant women are encouraged to undergo glucose testing as early as possible.

MSN reports that a recent study published in the Diabetes Care journal showed how GDM may be avoided through lifestyle changes. A group of 293 women who were with child for 20 weeks or less and were considered at risk for GDM due to a BMI of 30 or higher were the test subjects. They were divided into two groups: one received a diet and exercise plan supervised by nurses, while the other underwent standard care. Results showed that the group that received a special diet and exercise program had 13.9% incidence of GDM, while the standard care group had 21.6%.

GDM is a serious condition that can affect both mother and child. The Mayo Clinic reports that GDM increases a baby's risk for excessive birth weight, pre-mature birth and respiratory distress syndrome, low blood sugar and type 2 diabetes later in life. In fact, GDM has also been recently associated with autism.

In a recently released study, findings reveal that gestational diabetes is directly linked to the risk of a child being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. According to the Huffington Post, the study was conducted at Kaiser Permanente Southern California from 1995 to 2009.

The research studied over 320,000 babies and revealed that infants born to mothers who developed gestational diabetes before 26 weeks of pregnancy had a 63% risk of being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. However, the risk was down to 42% after the study controlled for various factors, including maternal age, education, ethnicity, household income, the baby's gender and the mother's preexisting conditions.

Study authors saw two important points in conclusion of the study—that is, prenatal care and the observance of a child's developmental milestones.

Coauthor Dr. Edward Curry said: "We want to get mothers in early to make sure they’re on their vitamins, folic acid and that they check blood sugar to make sure it’s under control early on." With regards to the possibility of autism in children, he said, "We as pediatricians are supposed to be screening [by at least] 18 and 24 months, but it never hurts for the parents to have increased vigilance."