3/MD5 student, American University of Barbados School of Medicine, Wildey, Bridgetown, Saint Michael, Barbados.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a common metabolic disease that makes pregnancy more difficult for millions of women around the world. GDM is a disease that makes it challenging for the body to deal with sugar. During pregnancy, it can have very long-term adverse effects on the health of both the mother and the baby. People live in different ways now, parents are becoming older, more people are overweight, and screening is getting better. GDM can cause major short-term concerns, like high blood pressure, too much amniotic fluid, early birth, increased cesarean sections, and metabolic issues in neonates. After giving birth, both women and their children are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. In this review, we consolidate current knowledge about the epidemiology, etiology, clinical symptoms, diagnostic methodologies, maternal complications, newborn outcomes, and long-term health consequences of GDM.