During pregnancy, women undergo a test that checks for gestational diabetes, the form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. You are asked to drink a special sugary solution, then blood is drawn, and your blood glucose level is checked. Women with high blood sugar levels will undergo additional testing.
Many women can control their blood sugar levels during pregnancy by modifying their diets.
Other women may require insulin injections, and may be at higher risk for diabetes later in life. Since the antibodies are almost never formed until late in the pregnancy, the pregnancy in which the antibodies are formed is usually not at risk, but subsequent babies may be. In future pregnancies, an Rh-positive baby could be at risk of severe anemia during pregnancy. The anti-Rh antibodies will go from the mother through the placenta and into the baby's bloodstream, where they can destroy the baby's red blood cells. However, a medication called RhoGam is available.