Abstract

Appropriate antenatal care is proven to play a crucial role in ensuring good outcome of the mother and the baby. Good antenatal care ensures periodic assessment of growth and development of the baby, and supplementation of additional nutrition required for the mother. It also provides prompt recognition of any complication that befall pregnancy, one such dreaded complication being gestational diabetes mellitus. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as the carbohydrate intolerance of varying severity with onset or first recognition in pregnancy. The prevalence of GDM in India is around 3.8-21%, and it is seen more in urban women. Physical environment, ethnicity, genetics, dietary patterns, lifestyle, obesity, family history of diabetes mellitus, and history of GDM in the previous pregnancy are independent risk factors for the development of GDM.