Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy in which the body cannot use the sugars and starches (carbohydrates) it takes in as food to make energy. As a result, the body collects extra sugar in your blood. Having gestational diabetes can increase the risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy. It can also increase the risk of having a large infant that needs to be delivered by cesarean section, or C-section (Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, Healthy People 2030).    

Considerations for Equitable Approaches: Although pregnant people who are non-Hispanic White and Black are at similar risk for gestational diabetes, pregnant people who are Black have more than two times higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes compared with pregnant people who are non-Hispanic White. Equitable screening, diagnosis, and follow up services can help reduce disparities in onset of type 2 diabetes among pregnant patients (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion).  

Inclusive Language Recommendations: As not all people who are pregnant identify as women, recommendations for more gender-inclusive language include using "pregnant people" and "pregnant patients" or other wording as applicable when referring to general recommendations for pregnancy (National Institutes of Health).