Diabetes and Pregnancy Summary Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. When you are pregnant, high blood sugar levels are not good for your baby. About seven out of every 100 pregnant women in the United States get gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is diabetes that happens for the first time when a woman is pregnant. Most of the time, it goes away after you have your baby. But it does increase your risk for developing type 2 diabetes later on. Your child is also at risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Most women get a test to check for diabetes during their second trimester of pregnancy. Women at higher risk may get a test earlier. If you already have diabetes, the best time to control your blood sugar is before you get pregnant. High blood sugar levels can be harmful to your baby during the first weeks of pregnancy – even before you know you are pregnant. To keep you and your baby healthy, it is important to keep your blood sugar as close to normal as possible before and during pregnancy. Either type of diabetes during pregnancy increases the chances of problems for you and your baby. To help lower the chances talk to your health care team about A meal plan for your pregnancy A safe exercise plan How often to test your blood sugar Taking your medicine as prescribed. Your medicine plan may need to change during pregnancy. NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Specifics After Delivery American Diabetes Association Before Pregnancy American Diabetes Association Delivery American Diabetes Association Prenatal Care American Diabetes Association Prevention and Risk Factors Am I at Risk for Gestational Diabetes? National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Did You Have Gestational Diabetes When You Were Pregnant? What You Need to Know National Diabetes Education Program Got Diabetes? Thinking about Having a Baby? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Find an Expert American Diabetes Association American Diabetes Association Directory of Diabetes Organizations National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Living With Care during Pregnancy for Women with Type 1 or 2 Diabetes Mellitus (Beyond the Basics) UpToDate Managing Gestational Diabetes: A Patient’s Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy National Institute of Child Health and Human Development MedlinePlus: Diabetic Diet National Library of Medicine Related Issues Causes of Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases When You’re Sick American Diabetes Association Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Diabetes, Gestational National Institutes of Health Array Diabetes diet – gestational Gestational diabetes Gestational diabetes – self-care Glucose screening and tolerance tests during pregnancy Infant of diabetic mother Diagnosis and Tests Diagnosis of Diabetes and Prediabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Gestational Diabetes and Testing American College of Nurse-Midwives Glucose Tests American Association for Clinical Chemistry Screening for Gestational Diabetes U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Patient Handouts Did You Have Gestational Diabetes When You Were Pregnant? What You Need to Know National Diabetes Education Program Statistics and Research Gestational Age, Infant Birth Weight, and Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Mothers: Nurses’ Health Study II Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthy Pre-Pregnancy Diet and Exercise May Reduce Risk of Gestational Diabetes National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Patient Access to Research American Diabetes Association Videos and Tutorials Gestational Diabetes March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Start Here Gestational Diabetes and Pregnancy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Pregnancy Complications: Preexisting Diabetes March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes and Pregnancy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention What I Need to Know about Gestational Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases What I Need to Know about Preparing for Pregnancy If I Have Diabetes National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Treatments and Therapies How to Treat Gestational Diabetes American Diabetes Association Metformin and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists NIH MedlinePlus Magazine Kidney Disease and Diabetes: What You Need to Know Journal Articles Gestational diabetes Pregnancy in diabetics Latest News Gestational Diabetes May Lead to More Body Fat on Babies HealthDay After Pregnancy-Linked Diabetes, Healthy Diet May Ease Blood Pressure HealthDay Mom’s Obesity, Diabetes May Spur Fetus to Grow Too Fast HealthDay
