What is Gestational Diabetes?

Picture this: You’ve been using your calendar to excitedly check off the days until your baby’s arrival, faithfully penciling in your prenatal care visits each month. Every day you get to hear your little one’s heartbeat is a day to look forward to—and your calendar counts down along with you in anticipation of each visit as you go through the stages of prenatal development.

But then, around 24 to 28 weeks, you check your calendar and see you’ve scheduled a glucose screening to test for gestational diabetes.

Hold up—gestational what now?

Gestational diabetes occurs in some pregnant women who develop high blood glucose levels. Whether you’ve recently been diagnosed or you’re unsure of what to expect at your appointment, we’ll walk you through the ins and outs of the condition and how it can affect your postpartum journey.

Breaking Down Gestational Diabetes: Causes, Symptoms, and Screenings

If you’re still wrapping your head around the idea of having (or potentially having) gestational diabetes, you stand alongside around 7% of pregnant women in the US. Yes, the term itself can sound scary, but it is possible to manage the condition once you understand what it is and what to expect if you have it.

Causes of Gestational Diabetes

The exact cause isn’t known, but the onset of gestational diabetes typically occurs around the 24th week of pregnancy. For some women, it’s around this time that your body isn’t able to produce sufficient insulin. Insulin is the hormone that helps your body tap your blood cells as an energy source—and when there’s not enough available, it can lead to abnormally high blood sugar levels which may require you to receive extra insulin shots.

It’s suspected that because the body goes through so many changes during pregnancy—an expanding uterus, an astronomical influx of hormones, and (oh yeah) growing a fully formed human—some women’s bodies begin to use insulin less effectively.

This leads to insulin resistance, a condition that occurs when your liver, muscle tissues, and fat don’t respond to insulin as they normally do and struggle to absorb glucose from your blood cells. Moreover, some women are unknowingly insulin-resistant before their pregnancy. As their pregnancy progresses, the condition worsens and increases their likelihood of being diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

There is a silver lining, though: you can’t have gestational diabetes before you’re pregnant (phew), and it typically disappears shortly after giving birth (double phew!).

Testing for Gestational Diabetes

Understandably, you probably want to be on the lookout for symptoms associated with gestational diabetes. While we applaud your plan-ahead attitude, it turns out there are only two physical symptoms to look for:

• Feeling more thirsty than normal
• Having to pee more often

That said, as someone who’s currently pregnant, you probably know all too well about those frequent potty breaks. Therefore, noting all of your extra trips to the loo might not be the most accurate indicator of whether you have gestational diabetes.

Instead, your OBGYN will schedule a more precise test—a glucose screening—between 24 and 28 weeks of your pregnancy.

This test measures your body’s blood sugar levels. If the results detect higher-than-normal levels of sugar, your healthcare provider will ask you to come in for another test (usually a 3 hour glucose screening) to determine whether or not you have gestational diabetes

Here’s what you can expect on the day of your two-step testing:

1. Your OBGYN’s office will give you a bottle of Glucola, which contains 50 grams of sugar. Glucola is designed to see how well your body processes glucose. As you might guess, this is a very sweet drink. Typically, you’ll be able to choose from a variety of saccharine flavors—orange, fruit punch, and even lemon-lime.
2. After you consume the drink, you’ll wait one hour to allow the sugary beverage to filter through your system.
3. After an hour, you’ll have blood drawn and your doctor will use it to test your blood sugar levels. Your doctor will call you a few days later with your results.

If the diagnosis is given, most women are referred to a dietician to help moms understand how to eat with gestational diabetes and the importance of exercise in addition to doing 4 finger sticks for glucose level /day to log and track your blood sugar levels.  You should also expect to see your OB a little more often and get more ultrasounds to watch baby’s size.

Potential Complications Associated with Gestational Diabetes

If your glucose screening confirms a diagnosis of gestational diabetes, you’ll have another appointment with your OBGYN. At this point, they should relay some potential issues that could arise if your condition is left untreated, including:

• Excessive birth weight – A consistently high blood-sugar level increases the chances of your baby gaining extra weight, which could make it more challenging for them to pass through the birth canal during labor.
• High blood pressure – With gestational diabetes, you’re at a higher risk of having high blood pressure, which can cause preeclampsia. This disorder can cause headaches, excessive swelling, and potential complications during pregnancy if not monitored.
• Preterm birth – If your little one weighs more than 9 pounds or you have preeclampsia, your doctor may recommend an early delivery (sometimes via cesarean section) for your and your baby’s safety.
• Future type 2 diabetes – Women who have gestational diabetes are twice as likely to be developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Luckily, there are measures you can take to stay healthy and decrease your chances, especially if you are planning on future pregnancy.

Tips for Managing Gestational Diabetes

If you find yourself with gestational diabetes, there are several ways you can be proactive and take steps to keep the condition under control. With proper management, many women have normal pregnancies and give birth to perfectly happy and healthy babies.

Here are some tried-and-true tips to help you manage your gestational diabetes:

• Maintain a balanced diet – Everyone’s tastes and dietary needs are different, but that trusty food pyramid we learned about back in middle school has some excellent tips for balancing your plate. Since gestational diabetes creates high-glucose conditions, try gearing your diet towards stabilizing blood sugar. Think whole grains, plenty of fruits and vegetables, a mixture of high-protein foods, and healthy fats like olive oil. These staples help ward off sugar spikes, keeping you fueled and satiated throughout the day.
• Keep yourself active – While we don’t expect you to run a marathon, finding pregnancy-safe ways to get moving can help keep your blood sugar levels in check. We recommend taking a stroll, going for a swim, or doing some prenatal yoga each day. Whatever you choose, we applaud you for doing whatever activity feels good for you.
• Monitor your blood sugar levels – During pregnancy, your blood sugar levels can change in an instant. It’s important to keep an eye on your levels throughout the day to mitigate any risk factors, preferably when you wake up in the morning, and then about an hour after you have eaten breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

What to Expect with Gestational Diabetes Postpartum

After childbirth, members of the hospital staff will do a blood test to monitor your blood sugar level multiple times to ensure that it returns to a normal range. Up to 90% of gestational diabetes cases resolve on their own shortly after childbirth.

However, since about 50% of women who’ve had gestational diabetes are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes later in life, it’s important to have your blood glucose level checked approximately four to 12 weeks postpartum. Your doctor will use those results to determine whether you have type 2 diabetes. After that, it’s wise to consider taking the test again every 1 to 3 years.

To reduce your risk of having type 2 diabetes later in life, you can sprinkle the following tips into your postpartum lifestyle:

• Continue follow-up care – After welcoming the newest member of your family into the world, it’s understandable that they become your top priority. But to take care of them, it’s essential to take care of yourself. That’s why it’s highly recommended that you attend all of your scheduled postpartum doctor visits and discuss any concerns with your healthcare provider.
• Find a diet and exercise routine you love – With a brand new, healthy baby at home, you may notice that finding time to sleep (or even shower) sometimes feels impossible. But worry not—you’ll find your rhythm! Then, you can focus on maintaining a healthy weight by incorporating light daily exercise and a healthy food regimen. There are great exercise programs for pregnancy to guide and inspire you. Taking your little one on a daily walk for some fresh air? Fabulous. Asking your spouse to meal-prep healthy dinners for the week? Sounds like just the recipe to us. This is a great way to integrate diabetes care into your daily life.

Keep Yourself In the Know with SneakPeek

There are so many magical moments to keep track of during pregnancy: from finding that faint positive line on your pregnancy test, to hearing the thump-thump-thump of your little peanut’s heartbeat, to seeing the results of its gender blood test. But one moment that’s not as magical is wondering about the possibility of your having gestational diabetes—and having to wait for your next check-in for the answer.

With the SneakPeek Gestational Diabetes Test, you can stop wondering. Part of our Prenatal Wellness Test series, this at-home test shows you your prenatal HbA1c levels to check that they’re normal for a healthy pregnancy.

Testing is convenient and data-secure with a fast turnaround— you’ll receive your results in 3 to 6 days. Our CLIA-certified lab will assess your results, with a downloadable report you can share with your physician. Keep an eye out as this test will be launching soon!

Over 1 million moms trust SneakPeek for science-backed info on their pregnancy journeys, including our reliable Sneak Peek test.

This post has been reviewed for accuracy by the following medical professional:

Dr. Heather Soper, Certified Nurse Midwife

Dr. Heather Soper brings over 15 years of experience in women's health and obstetrics to her role as the owner of The Genesis Resort for Birth. Complementing her clinical practice, she serves as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at James Madison University, where she educates nursing students with a focus on compassionate, patient-centered care. Her advanced training and dedication to midwifery are evident in her contribution to both academia and the wellness of expectant mothers

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