Knowing the risk factors will definitely get your prepared for what’s to come. And in this case, if you had your period earlier than 11 years of age, you might be at a higher risk for gestational diabetes in pregnancy. The age at which girls start menstruating could flag a later risk of diabetes during pregnancy, according to a University of Queensland study.

Researcher Danielle Schoenaker said those who had their first period at age 11 or younger were 50 percent more likely to develop gestational diabetes than those who experienced their first period at age 13.

ScienceDaily.com reports:

UQ School of Public Health researchers analyzed data from more than 4700 women from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health and found a higher number of women who reported having their first period at a younger age had later developed gestational diabetes.

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