Gene change may increase risk of diabetes in pregnant women

Diabetes is when you have too much sugar in your blood and not enough insulin or when the body cannot sense insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps control your blood sugar. Diabetes affects many people including women during pregnancy. Insulin is released from the pancreas into the blood upon signals from the nervous system. Researchers have found mutations in one of the genes involved. Mutations in the ADRA2A gene reduces insulin release. Using BioVU, they will see if changes in this gene make a pregnant woman more likely to get diabetes.