What Is Gestational Diabetes?

I'm not diabetic, but my doctor told me that I have gestational diabetes. What does that mean? And will it last beyond my pregnancy?
– Pat

Gestational diabetes is a kind of diabetes that comes on during pregnancy. When a woman has it, her blood sugar levels are high. That makes the unborn baby's blood sugar levels higher too. Most pregnant women have a glucose screening for gestational diabetes at 24 to 28 weeks.

A big worry about gestational diabetes is what it can do to a baby. Babies born to mothers who have gestational diabetes are more likely to:

• be born early (prematurely)
• grow very large
• have breathing problems
• have jaundice
• have low blood levels of calcium or glucose just after they're born

These and other kinds of problems from gestational diabetes can make babies need to stay in the hospital longer for extra treatment.

If you have gestational diabetes, your doctor will probably start you on a treatment plan. Most women can get their blood sugar levels under control with a healthy food plan and daily exercise. Some women also need to take daily insulin shots and test their blood sugar until they give birth.

Gestational diabetes usually goes away after a baby is born. A mom may get it again during future pregnancies, though. Some women who have it will develop diabetes when they're older.

Sometimes a woman may have had diabetes before the pregnancy but not know it. When that happens, the diabetes does not go away after the baby is born.