US Medical Term · maternity
Gestational Diabetes
Diabetes gestacional
What it means
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. MedlinePlus defines gestational diabetes as high blood sugar (glucose) that starts or is first diagnosed during pregnancy, and explains that pregnancy hormones can inhibit insulin from doing its job. Most of the time there are no symptoms, and the diagnosis is made during a routine prenatal screening. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) says it is usually diagnosed in the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy. Pregnant women with gestational diabetes tend to have larger babies at birth. After delivery, the high blood sugar level often goes back to normal, but NIDDK notes that a person who has had gestational diabetes is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.
Gestational Diabetes in Spanish
- Spanish term
- Diabetes gestacional
- Gender and article
- feminine: la diabetes gestacional
- Pronunciation
- dyah-BEH-tehs hehs-tah-syoh-NAHL
Diabetes gestacional is the name used by MedlinePlus en español and by the NIDDK's Spanish page, and it is feminine: la diabetes gestacional. The Real Academia Española dictionary marks gestacional as a medical adjective meaning relating to gestación, glossed there as embarazo (pregnancy), and prints diabetes gestacional as its example. Diabetes ends in -s in the singular too: un tipo de diabetes.
The two sites use two words for what is measured. NIDDK writes la glucosa en la sangre, también llamada azúcar en la sangre, and MedlinePlus en español writes azúcar alta (glucosa) en la sangre. Other terms on the MedlinePlus en español page are prueba oral de tolerancia a la glucosa (oral glucose tolerance test), hipoglucemia (low blood sugar, there in the newborn), parto por cesárea (delivery by C-section) and cuidado prenatal (prenatal care). MedlinePlus en español lists intolerancia a la glucosa durante el embarazo (glucose intolerance during pregnancy) as an alternative name.
Phrases for an appointment
What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:
| Who | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Clinician | Your glucose test shows that you have gestational diabetes. | Su prueba de glucosa muestra que usted tiene diabetes gestacional. |
| Patient | I did not have diabetes before this pregnancy. Why do I have it now? | Yo no tenía diabetes antes de este embarazo. ¿Por qué la tengo ahora? |
| Clinician | Pregnancy hormones can keep insulin from doing its job. | Las hormonas del embarazo pueden impedir que la insulina haga su trabajo. |
| Patient | Is gestational diabetes going to affect my baby? | ¿La diabetes gestacional va a afectar a mi bebé? |
| Clinician | We are going to show you how to check your blood sugar at home. | Le vamos a enseñar a medirse el azúcar en la sangre en casa. |
| Patient | How many times a day do I need to check my blood sugar? | ¿Cuántas veces al día tengo que medirme el azúcar en la sangre? |
| Patient | Will the diabetes go away after the baby is born? | ¿La diabetes va a desaparecer después de que nazca el bebé? |
| Clinician | After the delivery, we will do another test to see whether your blood sugar has gone back to normal. | Después del parto, le haremos otra prueba para ver si su nivel de azúcar en la sangre ha vuelto a la normalidad. |
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Gestational Diabetes |
| Spanish (Español) | Diabetes gestacional |
| Chinese (中文) | 妊娠糖尿病 |
| Korean (한국어) | 임신성 당뇨병 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Tiểu đường thai kỳ |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Gestasyonal diabetes |
| Portuguese (Português) | Diabetes gestacional |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | เบาหวานขณะตั้งครรภ์ |
| Japanese (日本語) | 妊娠糖尿病 |
Where you'll see it
Related ICD-10-CM category
ICD-10-CM code: O24 → Diabetes mellitus in pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperiumRelated terms
Your right to an interpreter in the United States
If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.
You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»
More terms: Reproductive health and pregnancy
All terms in this area: Reproductive health and pregnancy — Salud reproductiva y embarazo
Sources
- Definition & Facts of Gestational Diabetes — National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH
- Definición y hechos de la diabetes gestacional — Instituto Nacional de la Diabetes y las Enfermedades Digestivas y Renales (NIDDK), NIH
- Gestational diabetes: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
- Diabetes gestacional: MedlinePlus enciclopedia médica — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- gestacional — Diccionario de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / ASALE
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Your Right to Language Assistance Services — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.
Last reviewed: October 8, 2026