What are the symptoms of gestational diabetes?

Written by Gan Jun
Endocrinology
Updated on May 18, 2025
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Patients with gestational diabetes have different constitutions, ages, and weights, so their clinical symptoms also vary greatly. The more typical symptoms include the obvious "three polys and one less," namely polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, and unintended weight loss. Pregnant women are prone to recurrent vulvar infections and itching. Some patients with gestational diabetes may not show obvious symptoms, while others may experience a series of adverse symptoms such as excessive amniotic fluid, vulvar itching, and ketoacidosis. If blood sugar is not well-controlled during pregnancy, it can cause delayed growth and development of the fetus. Gestational diabetes can pose significant risks to both the fetus and the pregnant woman. Therefore, timely diet, exercise, and appropriate insulin treatment should be administered.

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Written by Luo Han Ying
Endocrinology
51sec home-news-image

What should I do about gestational diabetes?

As prenatal checkups are becoming increasingly popular, many expectant mothers undergo a glucose tolerance test between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy to diagnose gestational diabetes. More and more expectant mothers are finding their blood sugar levels exceeding the diagnostic thresholds and are being diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Most of the time, gestational diabetes in expectant mothers is caused by reduced physical activity and overeating during pregnancy. For such expectant mothers, we can advise them to control their weight, strictly manage their diet, and increase their physical activity to maintain proper blood sugar levels. In fact, only a small portion of pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes require insulin injections to control their blood sugar.

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Written by Zhao Dan
Orthopedics
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What is gestational diabetes?

The group of people who were diagnosed with diabetes before pregnancy is called gestational concurrent diabetes. Those who were not diagnosed with diabetes before pregnancy, but were diagnosed after becoming pregnant, are referred to as having gestational diabetes. Eighty percent of women are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, while twenty percent have gestational concurrent diabetes.

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Written by Luo Han Ying
Endocrinology
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Can you drink yogurt if you have gestational diabetes?

Regarding yogurt, there are two scenarios. Currently, you can make yogurt at home with a yogurt maker. If it's homemade yogurt and you haven't added sugar, it is okay to eat because it contains probiotics and nutritious ingredients, which are actually beneficial for pregnant women. However, the yogurt sold in stores contains very high sugar levels because anyone who has made yogurt would know that unsweetened yogurt is very sour. The kind sold in stores tastes that way because a large amount of sugar is added, not to mention various additives. This is very unfavorable for blood sugar control in patients with gestational diabetes. Therefore, we recommend that pregnant women should drink less or even avoid commercial yogurt. In fact, we can obtain these nutrients by drinking regular milk, like pure milk.

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Written by Liu Wen Li
Obstetrics
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What are the symptoms of gestational diabetes?

The symptoms of gestational diabetes vary depending on the severity of the disease. Most cases of gestational diabetes are symptomless and are only detected when high blood sugar levels are found during diabetes screening. Therefore, it is recommended to perform a 75g glucose screening during pregnancy, at the very least, fasting blood sugar should also be checked because most diabetic patients do not notice any symptoms on their own. If the diabetes is more severe, the patient may experience symptoms such as increased thirst, increased appetite, weight loss, and frequent urination.

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Written by Li Lang Bo
Endocrinology
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What should people with gestational diabetes eat?

For patients with various types of diabetes, the general principle of dietary control is low salt, low fat, and a diabetes-specific diet. This means that fats and calories must be controlled. However, pregnancy is a special period that requires an adequate intake of nutrients to meet the needs of the fetus. Therefore, gestational diabetes should be managed based on one's nutritional status, and, after evaluating one's condition, sufficient high-quality protein should be supplemented. It is advisable not to consume fats, such as chicken, duck, fish, and meat, but cooking methods should be chosen carefully. Fish can be consumed steamed, and meat can be steamed or stewed, as these meats are sources of protein. However, soup should not be consumed as it is particularly high in fat. Additionally, foods like pig's feet or animal organs, which have high cholesterol levels, should be consumed in moderation. The overall principle is the same as for diabetes, but it is essential to ensure the pregnant woman's nutritional needs are met and that the fetal weight gradually increases as the pregnancy progresses. Of course, if insulin intervention is needed to some extent, insulin must be used to keep blood sugar levels within the required range.