What Is Gestagenic Diabetes Insipidus?

Medically Reviewed by Michael Dansinger, MD on August 22, 2024
Written by Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD
2 min read

Most commonly known as gestational DI, gestagenic diabetes insipidus is a rare disorder that happens in pregnancy, usually in the third trimester.

This condition can make you so thirsty you drink many glasses of water a day. As a result, you might go to the bathroom more than once or twice an hour. This isn’t a result of pregnancy but of diabetes insipidus, which is sometimes called "water" diabetes. It has symptoms like other forms of the disease but isn’t related.

It's rare, but sometimes during pregnancy, the placenta can make an enzyme that destroys vasopressin, a hormone that controls how much water you retain. The lack of it causes heavy thirst and frequent urination. Gestagenic DI can also lead to a lack of control when you pee and to bedwetting.

In some cases, the disease runs in the family. In others, it's a problem with the way your body controls thirst. And sometimes the cause isn’t known.

Most pregnant women make many trips to the bathroom at night due to the pressure the growing baby puts on the bladder. But if you go a lot and have an intense thirst, it could be gestagenic diabetes.

Other symptoms include nausea, dizziness, and weakness.

Your doctor will test your urine to see if it’s light and diluted or concentrated and yellow. They may also send your blood out for lab tests.

The doctor may opt not to treat gestagenic DI. If that’s the case, they’ll likely ask you to come to the office a lot. They’ll make sure your body doesn’t retain too much fluid. You'll also need to keep liquids with you so you don't get dehydrated.

You may need to take desmopressin, a man-made form of vasopressin. It usually comes as a nasal spray. This treatment helps control urine. It also stops bedwetting by letting your body to absorb and manage water from your kidneys.

If your body's thirst control is the cause of gestational DI, your doctor will prescribe other treatments.

See your doctor if you’re pregnant and have all of these symptoms:

  • You make frequent trips to the bathroom, especially at night.
  • You have a heavy thirst.
  • You drink much more than your normal daily amount.

Most cases go away within 4 to 6 weeks after you give birth. But it may return with future pregnancies.