Diabetes Prevention and Control Program

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes develops or is discovered during pregnancy and usually disappears when the pregnancy is over.  Women who gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds or have diabetes during pregnancy are at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes later on in life.   This form of diabetes occurs in 2% - 5% of pregnancies and at higher rates among African Americans, Hispanics/Latino Americans, and American Indians (rates in American Indians range from 1 to 14 percent).