Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar (diabetes) that starts or is first diagnosed during pregnancy.

Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:

• African or Hispanic ancestry
• Being older than 25 when pregnant
• Family history of diabetes
• Giving birth to a previous baby that weighed more than 9 pounds
• Obesity
• Recurrent infections
• Unexplained miscarriage or death of a newborn

Usually there are no symptoms, or the symptoms are mild and not life threatening to the pregnant woman. Often, the blood glucose level returns to normal after delivery.

Symptoms may include:

• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Frequent infections, including those of the bladder, vagina, and skin
• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weight loss in spite of increased appetite

However, high blood sugar levels in the mother can cause problems in the baby. These problems can include:

• Birth injury (trauma) because of the baby's large size
• Increased chance of diabetes and obesity
• Jaundice
• Large size at birth
• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

Rarely, the unborn baby dies in the womb late in the pregnancy. Mothers with gestational diabetes have an increased risk for high blood pressure during pregnancy and delivery by c-section.