Staying active with gestational diabetes
Physical activity lowers your glucose level, so regular exercise can be an effective way to manage gestational diabetes.
Safe exercise in pregnancy
Exercise is not dangerous for your baby. Some women worry about their baby being shaken around while they exercise, but this isn’t the case. Your baby is safe and secure in your womb and may even find the movement relaxing.
If you were active before you got pregnant, you should aim to keep the same level of fitness. You may find you slow down naturally towards the end of pregnancy as your bump grows.
If you’re not very active, the idea of starting now can be quite daunting. But you don’t need to join a gym or pay for expensive exercise classes. It’s important to start gradually and not suddenly take up strenuous exercise.
The normal recommendation is to aim for at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity activity a week, plus strength exercises on 2 or more days a week.
Find out more about how active you should be in pregnancy.
As a general rule, you should still be able to hold a conversation as you exercise. If you become breathless, you’re probably pushing yourself too hard. Keep exercise moderate, with rest periods, so that you do not become exhausted. Discuss your plans for exercise with your healthcare team. They will be able to advise you on what to do, how often and for how long.
Find out more about what kind of exercise you could try during pregnancy.
Avoid sitting down as much as possible
Limiting the amount of time you spend sitting down (being sedentary) can help. This can be difficult if you work in an office or if you’re feeling tired. But you could try:
- walking or cycling to work
- standing on the bus or train, or getting off a stop earlier
- walking to a co-workers desk instead of emailing or calling
- setting a reminder on your phone to stand up regularly
- taking the stairs instead of the lift or escalator
- heading to the park during your lunch break
- walking any other children to school, nursery or toddler group.
Monitoring your glucose levels
Hypoglycaemia (low glucose levels) mainly affects people with diabetes before pregnancy, especially if they take insulin. Higher intensity or prolonged exercise can cause low blood sugar, so try eating a healthy snack (fruit, yogurt, 2-3 whole wheat crackers or oatcakes) before or after exercising.
Try to monitor your glucose levels before and after exercise to know how exercise affects your glucose levels.
NHS Choices. Gestational diabetes. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gestational-diabetes/ (Page last reviewed: 06/08/2019. Next review due: 06/08/2022)
NHS Choices. Exercise in pregnancy https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pregnancy-exercise/ (Page last reviewed: 14/01/2017. Next review due: 14/01/2020)
Review dates
Read more about gestational diabetes
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Testing for gestational diabetes
If you are at risk of developing gestational diabetes, you’ll usually be offered an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). -
What are the risks of gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes can cause problems in pregnancy, but these risks can be reduced with careful management. -
What is gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy. With management, most women will have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. -
Causes of gestational diabetes
We do not understand exactly why some women get gestational diabetes and others don't. But we do know that some factors increase the risk. -
Symptoms of gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes does not usually cause any symptoms. Most women only find out that they have it when they are tested for the condition. -
Understanding the glycaemic index
The glycaemic index is a measure of how quickly sugars are released into the bloodstream. Knowing what foods to avoid helps control gestational diabetes. -
Managing your weight with gestational diabetes
Women who are overweight are at higher risk of developing gestational diabetes, although many women who develop it are not overweight at all. -
Injecting insulin
If you’ve been prescribed insulin, you’ll need to give yourself this as an injection. You’ll be given an insulin pen. -
Meal ideas for gestational or type 1 or 2 diabetes in pregnancy
Here are some suggested low glycaemic meal ideas that could help control your blood sugar levels if you have gestational diabetes. -
Gestational diabetes and premature birth
Diabetes is a condition in which there is an inability to control blood sugar levels and it leads to high amounts of sugar in the blood. -
Monitoring your own glucose levels
If you have gestational diabetes, measuring your own blood glucose levels will become something you do regularly. -
Gestational diabetes and your diet
Eating well is an important part of managing gestational diabetes and staying healthy throughout your pregnancy.