Women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy are 20 times more likely to go on to develop type 2 diabetes, a new study has found.

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy - most often in the second or third trimester. It results in a woman's blood sugar levels becoming too high. It usually disappears after the baby is born.

It can lead to complications, such as increased birth weight and premature labour. Babies who grow too large (macrosomia) are more likely to sustain birth injuries or require a caesarean section. Babies born too early can face a range of health issues, such as respiratory problems.

It has long been acknowledged that women who develop this condition during pregnancy are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later on, but UK researchers decided to investigate this further.

They looked at over 9,000 women who had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes between 1990 and 2016.

The study found that those who developed the condition were over 20 times more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the future.

They were also two-and-a-half times more likely to develop heart disease later on, and almost twice as likely to develop high blood pressure (hypertension).

"Results showed women diagnosed with gestational diabetes were significantly more likely to develop hypertension and ischemic heart disease at a relatively young age compared with women without a previous diagnosis, in addition to the established risk of developing diabetes.

"The risk was greatest for type 2 diabetes in the first year following diagnosis of gestational diabetes and persisted throughout the follow-up period," commented Dr Krish Nirantharakumar of the University of Birmingham.

The researchers said that the findings are important given the increase in cases of gestational diabetes in developing countries worldwide, and they highlighted the importance of following up with women who have had the condition.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, PLOS Medicine.