Gestational diabetes
(pronounced jesstay-
shun-ul die-uh-beet-eez) is a type of
diabetes, or high blood sugar, that only
pregnant women get. In fact, the word
gestational means pregnant. If a woman
gets high blood sugar when she’s
pregnant, but she never had high blood
sugar before, she has gestational
diabetes. Nearly 200,000* pregnant
women get the condition every year,
making it one of the top health concerns
related to pregnancy.
If not treated, gestational diabetes can
cause problems for mothers and babies.
Some of these problems can be serious.
But there is some good news:
• Most of the time, gestational diabetes
goes away after the baby is born. The
changes in your body that cause
gestational diabetes normally occur only
when you are pregnant. After the baby is
born, your body goes back to normal
and the condition goes away.
Gestational diabetes is treatable,
especially if you find out about it early in
your pregnancy. The best way to control
gestational diabetes is to find out you
have it early and start treatment quickly.
Treating gestational diabetes greatly
lowers the baby’s chances of having
problems.
Why do some women get gestational diabetes?
Usually, the body breaks down much of the
food you eat into a type of sugar, called
glucose. Because glucose moves from the
stomach into the blood, some people use
the term blood sugar, instead of glucose.
Your body makes a hormone called insulin
that moves glucose out of the blood and into
the cells of the body. In women with
gestational diabetes, the glucose can’t get
into the cells, so the amount of glucose in
the blood gets higher and higher. This is
called high blood sugar or diabetes.
How do I know if I'm at risk?
| Answer the questions below to learn your risk level
for gestational diabetes. |
| |
Yes |
No |
| 1. |
Are you a member of a high-risk ethnic group
(Hispanic,
African American,
Native American, or Pacific
Islander) |
|
|
| 2. |
Are you overweight or very overweight?
|
|
|
| 3. |
Are you related to anyone who has diabetes now or had
diabetes in their lifetime? |
|
|
| 4. |
Are you older than 25? |
|
|
| 5. |
Did you have gestational diabetes with a past pregnancy?
|
|
|
| 6. |
Have you had a stillbirth or a very large baby with a past
pregnancy? |
|
|
| 7. |
Do you have a history of abnormal glucose tolerance?
|
|
|
|
If you answered YES to TWO or more of these questions,
you are at HIGH RISK for gestational diabetes. |
|
If you answered YES to ONLY ONE of these questions, you
are at AVERAGE RISK for gestational diabetes. |
|
If you answered NO to ALL of these questions, you are at
LOW RISK for gestational diabetes. |
|
Should I get tested?
If you are at... |
Your health care provider will* ... |
| High Risk |
Test you as soon as you know
you are pregnant. If the first
test is negative, he or she will
likely test you again when you
are between 24 and 28 weeks’
pregnant. |
| Average Risk |
Test you when you are 24 to
28 weeks’ pregnant. |
| Low Risk |
Probably not test you unless
you start to have problems. |
Keep in mind that every pregnancy is different.
Even if you didn’t have gestational diabetes
when you were pregnant before, you might get it
during your current pregnancy. Or, if you had
gestational diabetes before, you may not get it
with this pregnancy. Follow your health care
provider’s advice about your risk level and
getting tested.
What is involved in getting tested?
Health care providers may use one of two
approaches* to test for gestational diabetes:
- One-step approach. After fasting (not eating or
drinking anything except water) for 4 to 8 hours,
a woman’s blood sugar level is measured before
and 2 hours after she drinks a certain amount of
a sugar drink. This type of test is called an oral
glucose tolerance test.
- Two-step approach. A health care provider
measures the blood sugar of a woman 1 hour
after she drinks a certain amount of a sugar
drink. Women whose blood sugar level is
normal after 1 hour probably do not have
gestational diabetes; those whose blood sugar
level is high after 1 hour then get an oral
glucose tolerance test to see if they have
gestational diabetes.
What if I don't get treated for gestational diabetes?
Most women with gestational diabetes have
healthy pregnancies and healthy babies
because they control their condition. Without
treatment, these women are at risk for: high
blood pressure, preeclampsia (a sudden,
dangerous increase in blood pressure), and
fetal death during the last 4 to 8 weeks of
pregnancy. These women may also have very
large babies. Some women need surgery to
deliver their bigger babies, which can increase
the risk of infection and prolong recovery time.
As babies, children whose mothers had
gestational diabetes are at higher risk for
breathing problems. As they get older, these
children are also at higher risk for obesity,
abnormal glucose tolerance, and diabetes.
These women and their children also have a
higher lifetime risk for
type 2 diabetes.
It may
be possible to prevent type 2 diabetes through
lifestyle changes. Talk to your health care
provider about diabetes and risk from
gestational diabetes.
What should I do if I have gestational diabetes?
If your health care provider tells you that you
have gestational diabetes, you will need to
follow a treatment plan to keep the condition
under control. Most treatment plans include
knowing your blood sugar level, eating a
healthy diet, and getting regular physical
activity. Some women also take insulin as
part of their treatment plan.
More and more women with gestational
diabetes have healthy pregnancies and
healthy babies because they follow their
treatment plan and control their blood sugar.
Managing Gestational Diabetes: A
Patient’s Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, a
booklet from the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development (NICHD),
describes general ways to
stay healthy with gestational
diabetes. The booklet
explains what causes
gestational diabetes, what
having it means for you and
your baby, and what you can
do if you have it; the booklet
also gives contact information
for groups that can help you if you find out
you have it.
To get your free copy of this booklet, or for
more information about NICHD research
topics, contact the NICHD Information
Resource Center at:
Phone: 1-800-370-2943 (TTY: 1-888-320-6942)
Fax: (301) 984-1473
Mail: P.O. Box 3006, Rockville, MD 20847
E-mail: NICHDInformationResourceCenter@mail.nih.gov
Internet: http://www.nichd.nih.gov
* American Diabetes Association. (2004). Position statement:
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Care, 7(Supp.1):
S88-S90.
From the
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
NIH Pub. No. 00-4818
Updated June 2005
