Diabetes is a disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. With type 1 diabetes, the body doesn’t produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps blood sugar get into the cells to be used for energy. With type 2 diabetes, the body produces insulin, but does not use it well.

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. In the United States, about 1% to 2% of pregnant women have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and about 6% to 9% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes. Diabetes during pregnancy has increased in recent years. Recent studies found that from 2000 to 2010, the percentage of pregnant women with gestational diabetes increased 56% and the percentage of women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes before pregnancy increased 37%. Diabetes in pregnancy varies by race and ethnicity. Asian and Hispanic women have higher rates of gestational diabetes and black and Hispanic women have higher rates of type 1 or type 2 diabetes during pregnancy.