Gestational diabetes

Your healthcare provider will test your blood sugar during pregnancy. The test may have two parts:

Glucose challenge test: You drink a sweet liquid. After about an hour, you’ll have a blood test to check your blood sugar level. If your blood sugar is high, your healthcare provider will do a glucose tolerance test.

Glucose tolerance test: An oral glucose tolerance test is only done if your challenge test results are unusual. You fast (don’t eat for eight hours) before the tolerance test. Your healthcare provider draws your blood before and after you drink a sweet liquid. The tolerance test can confirm a diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

If left untreated, gestational diabetes can pose health risks to both you and your baby.

Gestational diabetes increases your risk of:

Cesarean birth (C-section) if the baby gets too big.

Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

Preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy).

Type 2 diabetes.

Gestational diabetes increases your baby’s risk of:

Breathing problems.

Hypoglycemia.

Obesity.

Premature birth.

Type 2 diabetes.