A new set of guidelines has been drawn up by the College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Singapore to help doctors better diagnose and treat women with gestational diabetes.

The new recommendations are more comprehensive than previous ones, and include a focus on screening for all women and not just those deemed to be at high risk.

These are based on the latest international standards and will help deal with a problem that affects thousands of pregnant women here every year and can cause health problems that last for life.

The move to help women with gestational diabetes is part of a national effort to fight against diabetes on all fronts - from raising awareness about diets to encouraging people to exercise more regularly.

In Singapore, two-thirds of the mothers who have gestational diabetes go on to develop diabetes later in life. The children born from such pregnancies run the same risk and are more likely to be obese in childhood.