Health Tip: Some Pregnant Women at Higher Risk of Gestational Diabetes

(HealthDay News) -- Gestational diabetes is diabetes that is found for the first time when a woman is pregnant.

Diabetes means that a woman''s blood sugar is too high, a condition that isn''t good for her or her baby, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.

Of every 100 pregnant women, three to eight develop gestational diabetes.

Women are at higher risk if they are overweight or have a family history of diabetes.

If a woman is at higher risk, it''s recommended that she be checked for the condition during one of her first prenatal visits.

If she is found to have gestational diabetes, doctors will recommend exercise and changes in diet, and in some cases, will prescribe insulin.

-- Deborah DiSesa Hirsch

Last Updated: Feb. 2, 2006