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You’ve probably realized that being pregnant in the summer means you?ll be sweating extra profusely on those sweltering days and gazing enviously as others sip mojitos on the patio while you drink water in between frequent pee breaks. But did you know that being pregnant when it?s hot out also increases your risk for developing gestational diabetes"
Gestational diabetes is a condition that occurs during pregnancy in which your body can?t produce enough insulin to keep blood sugar at a normal level. Though it typically doesn?t show any noticeable symptoms, it can cause women to have bigger babies, leading to interventions like C-sections during delivery, and it?s associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. The news that gestational diabetes could be influenced by temperature came from a Toronto-based study that looked at more than 550,000 births from nearly 400,000 moms. Women are typically screened for diabetes 27 weeks into pregnancy. Researchers decided to compare the average temperature in the 30 days before that point to see if there was a relationship between the outdoor temperature and the diagnosis of gestational diabetes.
The study, which was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that 6.5 percent of women experienced gestational diabetes during pregnancy, but, among those who experienced temperatures -10 degrees Celsius or colder, only 4.6 percent had the condition. Meanwhile, amon...