Gestational Diabetes: The Condition Affecting 1/4 Pregnancies That's Still Widely Misunderstood

Gestational diabetes affects around one in four pregnancies globally - yet it's one of the most under-discussed conditions in women's health. Many women receive a diagnosis with little context for what it actually means, not just for their pregnancy, but for the next decade of their health. In this episode, we're joined by Dr Fareeha Rizvi - consultant diabetologist, endocrinologist, and a widely recognised authority in diabetes care - alongside Dr Fiona, consultant obstetrician leading diabetes and pregnancy care in East London. Together, we explore what gestational diabetes really signals, why its long-term risks are so routinely underestimated, and what the window around pregnancy makes possible if it's taken seriously. We get into what diet and lifestyle changes can realistically achieve, when medication becomes the right conversation, how clinicians tailor care to the individual woman in front of them, and what postnatal follow-up should - but often doesn't - look like.