Am I at risk 

for gestational

diabetes?

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

NatioNal iNstitutes of HealtH

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute 

of Child Health and Human Development
What is gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes (pronounced jess-TAY-shun-ul die-uh-BEET-eez) is a 

type of 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. 

Between 2 percent and 10 percent of U.S. pregnancies are affected by the 

condition every year,1 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 them serious. 

But there is 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, and the best outcomes 

 result from careful management and control of blood 

 sugar levels. The best way to control gestational diabetes 

 is to find out you have it early and start treatment quickly. 

Treating gestational diabetes—even if you don’t 

 have any symptoms or your symptoms are mild—

 greatly reduces health problems for mother 

 and baby. 
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 (pronounced GLOO-kos). 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 (pronounced IN-suh-lin) 

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. 
Am I at risk for gestational diabetes?

Answer the questions below to learn your risk for gestational diabetes.

YES/NO

Are you overweight or very overweight? 

Are you related to anyone who has diabetes now or had diabetes in 

his or her lifetime? 

Are you Hispanic/Latina, African American, American Indian, Alaska 

Native, Asian American, or Pacific Islander? 

Are you older than 25? 

In a previous pregnancy, did you have any of the following? 

•	 Gestational diabetes

•	 Stillbirth or miscarriage

•	 Large baby (weighing more than 9 pounds) 

Do you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or another health 

condition linked to problems with insulin? 

Have you ever had problems with insulin or blood sugar, such as insulin 

resistance, glucose intolerance, or “prediabetes”? 

Do you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and/or heart disease?

Total YES answers
Should I get tested for gestational diabetes?

Talk to your health care provider about gestational diabetes and your risk level. 

Total YES 

answers:

Your risk 

level is: Your health care provider:

2 or more High Will test you as soon as you know you 

are pregnant. If your first test is negative, 

will test you again when you are between 

24 weeks and 28 weeks pregnant. 

1 Average Will test you when you are between 

24 weeks and 28 weeks pregnant. 

0 Low May not test you at all, or will test you 

when you are between 24 weeks and

28 weeks pregnant.

Every pregnancy is different. If you didn’t have gestational diabetes when you 

were pregnant before, you might have it with this pregnancy. Or if you had 

gestational diabetes before, you might not have it with this pregnancy. 

How will I know if I have gestational diabetes? 

Based on your risk level and other factors, your health care provider first will 

give you a glucose screening test (also called a 1-hour post glucola [PG] test 

or a glucose challenge test). For this test, you will drink a sugar liquid and then 

have a blood test an hour later. (In most cases, the test uses only a few drops 

of blood and is usually not painful.) If your blood sugar level is normal after an 

hour, you probably don’t have gestational diabetes. If you are tested early in 

pregnancy, your health care provider is likely to screen you again when you are 

between 24 weeks and 28 weeks pregnant. 

If your blood sugar level is high after an hour, your health care provider will 

give you an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to determine if you have 

gestational diabetes or another problem. 

For the OGTT, you will need to fast (not eat or drink anything but water) for 8 to 

12 hours before the test. When you arrive, you’ll have a blood test to measure 

your blood sugar level, and then you’ll drink a sugar liquid. Your blood will be 

tested after 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours. (In most cases, the test uses only a 

few drops of blood and is usually not painful.) 

If your blood sugar is high for one of these measurements, you probably don’t 

have gestational diabetes, but your body might be having trouble keeping 

blood sugar levels balanced. Your health care provider will suggest ways to 

help keep your levels balanced, such as making changes in what you eat. 

If your blood sugar is high for two or more of these measurements, then you 

have gestational diabetes. Your health care provider will work with you to 

create a treatment plan that meets your needs and health history.

What does gestational diabetes mean for me?

During Pregnancy

Most women with gestational diabetes have healthy pregnancies and healthy 

babies because they control their blood sugar levels. Women with gestational 

diabetes are at higher risk for possible problems, including high blood pressure; 

preeclampsia (a sudden, dangerous increase in blood pressure); pregnancy loss 

during the last 4 weeks to 8 weeks; early/preterm labor and delivery; and surgery 

to deliver the baby (cesarean section, or C-section) and its related risks (such as 

infection).

Keeping blood sugar levels under control and following the treatment plan 

outlined by your health care provider are the best ways to improve pregnancy 

outcomes for women with gestational diabetes.

After Pregnancy

Women who have had gestational diabetes are at greater risk for developing 

type 2 diabetes during their lifetime. If you had gestational diabetes, your 

health care provider will test you for diabetes 6 weeks after you give birth to 

measure your blood sugar level.2 If the first test is negative, your health care 

provider will test you every year for diabetes. 

Eating a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, maintaining a 

healthy weight, and taking certain medications can help prevent and 

control type 2 diabetes.
What does gestational diabetes mean for my baby?

During and Right After Birth

Most women with gestational diabetes have healthy pregnancies and healthy 

babies because they control their blood sugar levels. Babies whose mothers 

had gestational diabetes are at higher risk for certain health problems, 

including being large bodied, which can cause problems and injuries during 

delivery; low blood sugar at birth; early/preterm birth; jaundice (yellowish color 

of the skin and white parts of the eye); breathing problems; and low levels of 

certain minerals in the blood. 

Keeping blood sugar levels under control is the best way to improve outcomes 

for babies whose mothers have gestational diabetes. 

Later in Life

Babies whose mothers had gestational diabetes are at higher risk for certain 

health problems as they get older. Some of these problems include overweight 

and obesity; problems with glucose and/or insulin, such as glucose intolerance 

and insulin resistance; and type 2 diabetes. 

Eating a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, maintaining a 

healthy weight, and taking certain medications can help prevent and 

control type 2 diabetes.
What should I do if I have gestational diabetes?

If you have gestational diabetes, your health care provider will work with you 

to create a treatment plan that will help keep the condition under control 

throughout your pregnancy. Most treatment plans include keeping your 

blood sugar levels within the normal range, eating a healthy diet as outlined 

by a health care provider, doing regular physical activity, and maintaining 

a healthy weight. Some women also need to 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 plans and control 

their blood sugar levels. 

Managing Gestational Diabetes: A Patient’s Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy,

a booklet from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health 

and Human Development (NICHD), explains general ways to stay healthy 

with gestational diabetes. The booklet combines findings from more than 

50 years of scientific research on the health of mothers, children, and families. 

It describes the causes of gestational diabetes, treatments for gestational 

diabetes, and how to get the best outcomes for you and your baby despite 

gestational diabetes. 
To get your free copy of Managing Gestational Diabetes: A Patient’s Guide 

to a Healthy Pregnancy, contact the NICHD Information Resource Center.

Phone: 1-800-370-2943 (TTY: 1-888-320-6942)

E-mail: NICHDInformationResourceCenter@mail.nih.gov

Internet: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs.cfm

Mail: P.O. Box 3006, Rockville, MD 20847

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). National Diabetes Fact Sheet: 

National estimates and general information on diabetes and prediabetes in the United 

States, 2011. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention.

2. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Obstetric Practice. 

(2009). Committee Opinion No. 435: Postpartum screening for abnormal glucose 

tolerance in women who had gestational diabetes mellitus. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 

113, 1419-1421.

Other Sources

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Obstetric Practice. 

(2011). ACOG Committee Opinion No. 504: Screening and diagnosis of gestational diabetes 

mellitus. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 118, 751-753. 

American Diabetes Association. (2011). Diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus. 

Diabetes Care, 34 (Supplement 1), S62-S69.

American Diabetes Association. (2011). Standards of medical care in 

diabetes. Diabetes Care, 34 (Supplement 1), S11-S61. 

June 2012

NIH Publication No. 12-4818 

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health