Gestational Diabetes Causes

The hormonal changes that happen in pregnancy can cause gestational diabetes in pregnant women at risk for the condition.  Hormones produced by the placenta -- including estrogen, cortisol, and human placental lactogen (HPL) --  increase insulin resistance in some women, which results in high blood sugars.  This usually occurs between 20 and 24 weeks of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes goes away when the baby is born, but women who have had the condition are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.