Hyperglycemia is the commonest medical condition affecting pregnancy and its incidence is increasing globally in parallel with the twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity. Both pre-pregnancy diabetes and gestational diabetes are associated with short term pregnancy complications, with the risk of immediate complications generally broadly rising with more severe hyperglycemia. In this article we firstly consider these risks and their optimal management during pregnancy and then broaden our scope to consider the long-term implications of hyperglycemia in pregnancy as it relates to overall maternal and offspring health in a life course perspective.
Keywords: gestational diabetes; hypertension in pregnancy; life course perspective; obesity; pregnancy.