Gestational diabetes is when a pregnant woman who has never had diabetes develops diabetes in the twenty-fourth to twenty-eighth week of pregnancy. There are reportedly 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes every year in the United States. While it is a serious condition, women diagnosed with gestational diabetes can and do deliver healthy babies. With the proper medical care, a healthy diet, and controlled weight gain the risks of this type of diabetes are minimized.

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.

Experts do not know what causes gestational diabetes. Theories propose that the growing fetus creates hormones that obstruct the mother's capability to create enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels regular. Due to the transformations that her body is undergoing, she might require triple the amount of insulin as normal to get rid of the surplus glucose in her blood stream. The overload of glucose in the blood can be going to the fetus, by way of the placenta, causing a state called Macrosomia or plainly 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.

After delivery, gestational diabetes goes away on its own. The placenta is no longer producing hormones that affected the mother's ability to produce insulin. It is highly recommended to obtain another glucose test six weeks after giving birth to ensure that Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes was not incorrectly diagnosed as gestational diabetes. Having another test performed will also assess the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes down the road.

Women who have had gestational diabetes, and their children, can reduce the risk of having Type 2 diabetes later on by making alterations in their eating and exercising habits. Eating right and exercising are essential to losing weight; obesity is the leading cause of Type 2 diabetes.