requires treatment. The condition may begin shortly before or any time after childbirth but commonly occurs between a week and a month after delivery.
Studies show that women diagnosed with gestational diabetes have a 70% increased risk of postpartum depression.
Postpartum depression does not have a single cause, but likely results from a combination of physical and emotional factors. Black and Latina women are also at increased risk for postpartum depression due to environmental factors. Alyce Thomas, RDN, a Nutrition Consultant in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Joseph’s Health in New Jersey says “Black women, as well as Latinas, are at greater risk because of lack of social support, lower-income, access to care, and are less likely to seek treatment because of stigma attached to mental illness.”
While gestational diabetes increases the risk for type 2 diabetes and postpartum depression, there are steps a woman can take to reduce risks. Thomas says one of the most important factors to minimize the risk for type 2 diabetes is screening after the birth of your baby. “Every woman who developed gestational diabetes should have a 75-gram, 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test, at 6-12 weeks postpartum,” says Thomas.
The oral glucose tolerance test is similar to the blood test used to find out whether or not you had gestational diabetes. The results will tell if your blood glucose levels have returned to normal and your risk of