What is one potential complication of untreated gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes, when left untreated, often leads to macrosomia, which is characterized by an excessive birth weight of the infant. This occurs because elevated blood sugar levels in the mother can result in increased glucose availability to the fetus, leading to overgrowth. The fetus metabolizes this excess glucose and stores it as fat, which can cause it to be larger than average at birth. Macrosomia is associated with several complications, such as an increased risk of cesarean delivery, birth trauma, and potential complications for the infant during and after birth, such as hypoglycemia.

In contrast, low birth weight is typically associated with conditions where the fetus does not receive adequate nutrients and oxygen, often related to maternal health issues or placental insufficiency. While hypertensive disorders could occur during pregnancy, they are not a direct outcome of untreated gestational diabetes. Genetic disorders, on the other hand, are unrelated to blood sugar levels and result from chromosomal anomalies rather than maternal glucose management. Thus, untreated gestational diabetes is most significantly linked to the risk of macrosomia.