You Can Eat Carbs With Gestational Diabetes & 5 Other Myths, Debunked

It’s not the test result anyone wants, but for some pregnant people, it’s the one they get: a failed glucose screening, which means you have gestational diabetes. The big increase in hormones in your body once you’re pregnant can interfere with your body’s natural insulin production. That means your body can’t regulate its own blood sugar levels, which can lead to complications for you and your baby if it goes untreated. It sounds simple enough, but with so many myths about gestational diabetes out there, it can be hard to know what’s true when you’re first diagnosed.

Whether you’ve never thought about gestational diabetes much before, or you’ve known someone with the condition, chances are you’re going to get lots of opinions and hot takes about your diagnosis now. Just know that there are many pervasive myths about the condition, so it’s important for your health (including your mental health) to know the truth ahead of time.

Myth #1: You have to be overweight or in some way unhealthy to get gestational diabetes.

This myth is directly related to the risk factors for developing gestational diabetes. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), these include “being overweight or obese,” “being physically inactive,” and “having high blood pressure.” But, “GD also can develop in women who have no risk factors,” according to the organization. So, the idea that anyone who isn’t thin will get GD, or is somehow to blame if they have it, is false.

“That is truly a myth. I have seen women with zero risk factors develop gestational diabetes in pregnancy,” says Dr. Sima Baalbaki, M.D., board-certified OB-GYN and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Women can be healthy, exercise regularly, eat only organic food and no sweets, and they still sometimes develop gestational diabetes. This is why we recommend screening everyone in pregnancy.”

“Gestational diabetes can absolutely affect anybody. There are some risk factors and some of the misconceptions come up because of those risk factors — family history of diabetes, being overweight, being obese can increase your risk. But again, this can happen to anybody,” says Dr. Christina Han, M.D., associate clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology and division director of maternal-fetal medicine at UCLA Health.

Pregnancy is a major change for your body, so even if you’ve never had any sort of health issue before, it’s understandable if one arises while you’re expecting, says Baalbaki. “You could be the healthiest person and still have things come up in the pregnancy.”

Myth #2: It’s your fault if you have gestational diabetes.

Whether you are blaming yourself for your gestational diabetes diagnosis, or you’ve ever side-eyed someone who had it, stop it right now. “This is not their fault. It’s not that they ate the wrong thing or didn’t exercise enough, this is just how their body is interacting with the pregnancy, particularly the placenta,” says Han.

“That is not true. Women should not be blamed for developing gestational diabetes. It’s the way that your body responds to the pregnancy, and most women’s carbohydrate tolerance will go back to normal after delivery. Women should not feel like they have done anything wrong to cause this, or that they have brought this upon themselves,” Baalbaki says.

Myth #3: You can’t eat carbs.

False. In fact, it’s recommended that pregnant people with and without GD should eat a minimum of 175 grams of carbohydrates per day, according to Wendy Lopez, MS, RDN, CDCES, registered dietitian/nutritionist and a certified diabetes educator, co-founder of Diabetes Digital, and co-host of the Diabetes Digital podcast.

“One of the common misconceptions is that you need to cut out all carbs, and in the non-pregnant state, we hear a lot about South Beach, Atkins, very low-carb diets. That is not recommended in pregnancy,” Han says. “When we go into that low-carb state, our body burns fat and that then produces ketones, which are dangerous for the placenta and for the baby. And so people with gestational diabetes — actually all pregnant people — definitely need to continue to take in carbs. It’s just a matter of choosing the right carbs and controlling the quantity of them.”

Myth #4: Your baby will definitely be big.

Gestational diabetes that is untreated or not well controlled can lead to excessive fetal growth (i.e. a bigger-than-average baby). But having this diagnosis does not guarantee you’re going to have a record breaker on your hands.

“Women with gestational diabetes do have an increased risk of having larger babies. However, that risk is mitigated or decreased by good control of blood sugars, which is why it's really important that women check their blood sugars regularly, and if they’re recommended to start medication, that we do start it,” Baalbaki says.

Myth #5: If you have gestational diabetes, you will need insulin.

Once you’re diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you will have to track your blood sugar levels at home with a glucometer and keep a log of the numbers. But both doctors agree that not all women need medication to manage their GD — in fact, most don’t.

“We classify gestational diabetes in two ways: diet-controlled and medication-controlled. Anyone who gets diagnosed with gestational diabetes should have a meeting with a dietitian. They should be counseled on nutrition and diet changes that they need to make and exercise changes; modifications in these areas help control blood sugars. For a lot of women, these changes will be all that is needed and their blood sugars will reflect those changes,” Baalbaki says.

If your blood sugar is well controlled this way, you won’t need insulin at all. Around 15% of people with GD do need it though, and just like the condition itself, needing insulin should not be seen as a personal failure.

“Very much like the diagnosis of gestational diabetes alone, this is not something that they're doing wrong. It's not that they're not observing the diet or the lifestyle changes, it just means that their body needs a little help,” Han says.

Myth #6: If you had gestational diabetes once, you’ll have it with every pregnancy.

Pregnant people who have a history of gestational diabetes in any pregnancy are at increased risk for having gestational diabetes in subsequent pregnancies, Baalbaki says, but it’s not a sure thing. “It’s not like you’ve had it once you’re definitely going to have it again, although you are at increased risk. Similarly, if you didn’t have gestational diabetes previously, it does not mean you shouldn’t be screened in future pregnancies.”

It is important to remember, Han says, that having GD does not mean you or your baby will have Type 2 diabetes. After delivery, your body returns to normal, and your baby will not be born with diabetes either. But having GD does increase the risk of both of you developing diabetes long-term. “Both the mother and the child are going to need lifelong surveillance to make sure that they don’t ultimately develop Type 2 diabetes,” she says.

No one wants to hear they have gestational diabetes, but knowing you do ensures you and your baby stay as healthy as possible throughout your pregnancy. And knowing the truth behind all the myths can help you shake off any guilt you may have been feeling (seriously, you’re not to blame).

Experts:

Dr. Sima Baalbaki, M.D., board-certified OB-GYN and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Alabama at Birmingham

Dr. Christina Han, M.D., associate clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology and division director of maternal-fetal medicine at UCLA Health

Wendy Lopez, MS, RDN, CDCES, registered dietitian/nutritionist and a certified diabetes educator, co-founder of Diabetes Digital, and co-host of the Diabetes Digital podcast.