Gestational diabetes is a temporary type of diabetes that can
develop in some women during the second half of pregnancy. Doctors usually
check for the condition in pregnant women by doing a blood test, because women
often are not aware that they have gestational diabetes.
With treatment, most women who have gestational diabetes will have
healthy babies. Gestational diabetes is treated by making certain eating
changes, exercising, checking blood sugar levels, and possibly taking insulin
shots to keep blood sugar levels within a safe range.
Gestational diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born. But
women who have gestational diabetes are more likely to develop diabetes later
in life.
If the woman's blood sugar level cannot be controlled, gestational
diabetes can cause problems, such as a baby that grows too large or a baby who
is born with low blood sugar.
