You will loose access to the develop module but you will not loose your edits.
You will still be able to access your images (including edits) from the Library and even do basic edits from the Library module. You can still export your images and print them but that's about it.
More info here
Now, if your subscription or trial version expires, you can continue to use Lightroom with the exception of the Develop module, Map module and mobile sync.
www.lightroomqueen.com
For those wanting to use other software but miss the DAM element of LR, you could actually use LR as your DAM for free and then "edit in" to edit your images in another application.