title: Gestational diabetes: diagnosis and management.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the diagnosis and management of gestational diabetes.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  In the United States, approximately 2 to 5% of all pregnant women have gestational diabetes. Those women with a family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, Asian or native American race, Latina ethnicity or obesity are at higher risk for developing gestational diabetes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women with gestational diabetes who are treated appropriately can achieve good outcomes in the majority of pregnancies. Frequent blood glucose monitoring, nutrition counseling and frequent physician contact allow for individualized care to achieve optimal outcomes. Such treatment includes diet, exercise and insulin. The use of oral hypoglycemic agents is controversial and there is some concern about worse maternal and neonatal outcomes as compared to treatment with insulin. Evolving technologies promise to provide more therapeutic options.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
authors.forename: Y W
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Caughey
mesh_terms: D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents