Long - term maternal
risks include a 30 % — 70 % GDM recurrence, a 7-fold
higher 5 — 10 year
risk of type 2 diabetes and an increased
risk of metabolic
syndrome and
cardiovascular disease.5 — 8 Compared with women without GDM, women with GDM are twice to four times9 as likely to develop antenatal or postpartum depression and approximately one - third
of women with recent GDM develop postpartum depression.10 Postpartum depression leads to an increase in comfort eating and a decrease in physical activity, 11 thus putting the women
at higher risk of weight gain and future diabetes.10