When a pregnant woman who has had no history of diabetes gets the disease, it is called gestational diabetes. This usually occurs around the twenty-fourth to twenty-eighth week of pregnancy. The United States alone reports 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes each year. With the right medical care, a good diet plan, and monitored weight gain a woman with gestational diabetes can deliver a perfectly healthy baby.

Between the twenty-fourth and twenty-eighth weeks of pregnancy, a health care provider will order testing to rule out gestational diabetes. There are two testing methods that can be used. Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (One Step): involves fasting for four to eight hours and measuring blood glucose levels. Then a sugar drink is consumed and the blood glucose is again measured after two hours. Two Step: involves drinking the high sugar drink first, then blood glucose is measured after one hour. A non-diabetic's level will be in the normal range within one hour. If the levels are high, the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test will then be performed.

It is not known for sure why gestational diabetes occurs. However, theories suggest that the developing baby produces hormones that block the mother's ability to create enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal. Due to the changes that her body is undergoing, she may need up to three times as much insulin as normal to eliminate the excess sugar in her blood stream. The excess of sugar in the blood can be directed to the fetus, through the placenta, causing a condition called Macrosomia or simply put, "fat baby".

There can be risks involved for both the mother and her baby: To avoid possible injury to a macrosomic infant a caesarian section may be performed. The infant may experience low blood glucose levels. The infant may experience jaundice. The newborn may experience low mineral levels in their blood. The newborn may experience breathing trouble upon birth. The risk of obesity is higher for these children. The mother and her child stand at higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Future pregnancies are at higher risk of gestational diabetes.

In order to steer clear of risks to both mother and her fetus, gestational diabetes needs to be caught and dealt with promptly. A physician will recommend a nutritious diet and safe exercise plan. Moderating carbohydrate intake and exercise helps to control weight gain. An extreme weight increase leads to complications for the mother in addition to the instant and potential risks to the infant. If Insulin is required to manage blood glucose levels, the physician will explain how to take it. Keeping an eye on the blood glucose level is another way to steer clear of danger.

Gestational diabetes corrects itself on its own after delivery. The placenta is not making hormones that have an effect on the mother's capability to manufacture insulin. It is strongly urged to get another glucose test approximately six weeks after delivering to make certain that Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes was not mistakenly diagnosed as gestational diabetes. Also, having another test executed will also evaluate the possibility of getting Type 2 diabetes in the future.

The risk of having Type 2 diabetes in women, who have had gestational diabetes, and their children, can be lessened by making changes in their eating and exercising habits. Obesity is the leading cause of Type 2 diabetes, but eating right and exercising and losing the excess weight can make all the difference.

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