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Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar (diabetes) that starts or is first diagnosed during pregnancy.

Glucose intolerance during pregnancy

Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:

• African or Hispanic ancestry
• Being older than 25 when pregnant
• Family history of diabetes
• Giving birth to a previous baby that weighed more than 9 pounds
• Obesity
• Recurrent infections
• Unexplained miscarriage or death of a newborn

Usually there are no symptoms, or the symptoms are mild and not life threatening to the pregnant woman. Often, the blood glucose level returns to normal after delivery.

Symptoms may include:

• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Frequent infections, including those of the bladder, vagina, and skin
• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weight loss in spite of increased appetite

However, high blood sugar levels in the mother can cause problems in the baby. These problems can include:

• Birth injury (trauma) because of the baby's large size
• Increased chance of diabetes and obesity
• Jaundice
• Large size at birth
• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

Rarely, the unborn baby dies in the womb late in the pregnancy. Mothers with gestational diabetes have an increased risk for high blood pressure during pregnancy and delivery by c-section.

Gestational diabetes may not cause symptoms. All pregnant women should receive an oral glucose tolerance test between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy to screen for the condition.

There is a slightly increased risk of the baby dying when the mother has untreated gestational diabetes. Controlling blood sugar levels reduces this risk.

High blood glucose levels often go back to normal after delivery. However, women with gestational diabetes should be watched closely after giving birth and at regular doctor's appointments to screen for signs of diabetes. Many women with gestational diabetes develop diabetes within 5 - 10 years after delivery. The risk may be increased in obese women.

• Delivery-related complications due to the infant's large size
• Development of diabetes later in life
• Increased risk of newborn death
• Low blood glucose or illness in the newborn

Call your health care provider if you are pregnant and you have symptoms of diabetes.

Beginning prenatal care early and regular prenatal visits helps improve the health of you and your baby. Knowing the risk factors for gestational diabetes and having prenatal screening at 24 - 28 weeks into the pregnancy will help detect gestational diabetes early.

Screening for gestational diabetes mellitus: Recommendation statement. Rockville, MD. US Preventive Services Task Force; May 2008: Ann Intern Med; 148(759-765).

ACOG Practice Bulletin. Clinical management guidelines for obstetrician-gynecologists. Obstet Gynecol. 2001 Sep;98(3):525-38.

Landon MB, Catalano PM, Gabbe SG. Diabetes mellitus complicating pregnancy. In: Gabbe SG, Niebyl JR, Simpson JL, eds. Obstetrics - Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2007:chap 37.

Cunnigham FG, Leveno KL, Bloom SL, et al . Antepartum assessment. In: Cunnigham FG, Leveno KL, Bloom SL, et al, eds. Williams Obstetrics. 22nd ed. New York, NY; McGraw-Hill; 2005:chap 15.

Cunnigham FG, Leveno KL, Bloom SL, et al . Diabetes. In: Cunnigham FG, Leveno KL, Bloom SL, et al, eds. Williams Obstetrics. 22nd ed. New York, NY; McGraw-Hill; 2005:chap 52.