A normal non pregnant woman's blood sugar rises and falls as her food is absorbed into her cells. She eats, the food is absorbed, the blood sugar goes up, and then her pancreas (a digestive organ just behind the stomach) releases insulin - which is a hormone - and the blood sugar goes down as the food is absorbed into the cells.

When some women become pregnant their bodies become relatively resistant to the actions of insulin. This is called gestational diabetes. Their blood sugar remains higher for a longer period of time than normal. This higher blood sugar crosses the placenta to the baby resulting in a baby that is big and fat. Fat babies have more trouble delivering than normal, so it makes sense to try to keep this from happening.

If we find a woman has gestational diabetes (by doing some simple blood tests) we recommend a special diet and exercise program. Only if the blood sugars are not controlled by this would we consider insulin therapy.

Most of the women that develop gestational diabetes go back to normal after the pregnancy, but some develop diabetes later in life, so if you had trouble in pregnancy you should be checked periodocally.

- David C. Giammittorio, M.D.