Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. This condition can be harmful to mother and baby if blood sugar levels are not well controlled, but proper management can prevent complications. Most women don’t have symptoms, although some may experience blurred vision, increased thirst, fatigue or more frequent infections. Gestational diabetes typically goes away after delivery, but women who’ve had it have a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in the future.
Request an appointment with a board-certified OB-GYN who can help you plan to start or add to your family.
Pregnancy causes big changes in hormone levels, and that can affect insulin, a hormone that your body uses to turn sugar into energy. Your body may not be able to make enough insulin, or pregnancy hormones may prevent insulin from working properly. That can leave too much sugar in your blood, leading to gestational diabetes.
If you develop gestational diabetes, it’s important to manage it to prevent complications, which may include:
You can reduce your risk of gestational diabetes and foster a healthy pregnancy by:
Between your 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy, your Beaufort Memorial prenatal care provider will administer a screening test called an oral glucose tolerance test, which can show whether you have gestational diabetes. You may receive the test earlier if you have a higher risk.
If you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you can manage it by:
After delivery, you'll have a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, so you should ask your primary care provider how often you should undergo diabetes screening moving forward.