Why are women given an oral glucose tolerance test during pregnancy?
Most doctors routinely screen women for gestational diabetes because all women who become pregnant are at risk for developing gestational diabetes. If a woman has gestational diabetes she will have elevated blood sugar (blood glucose). This can cause the baby to gain too much weight and may cause health problems for the mother. Gestational diabetes can sometimes be treated with changes in lifestyle but many women will need to take insulin during her pregnancy. In most cases, gestational diabetes resolves by itself after the baby is born. Some women remain diabetic after pregnancy and will then classified as having type 2 diabetes.
