The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) advises that all pregnant women who have not been previously diagnosed with diabetes, regardless of whether they have risk factors or not, should be given a blood test to screen for gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes which occurs during pregnancy. The condition affects 18% of all preganancy and can results in serious complications to the mother and infant if left untreated. The basis for this recommendation to screen all pregnancies came from several large randomized trials that have found substantial reductions in pregnancy-related outcomes in treating gestational diabetes, even in mild forms.

Often, women with gestational diabetes are at higher risk of having diabetes later on in life, after the pregnancy. Evidence also suggests that children born to women with gestational diabetes are at higher risks of having diabetes later on in life as well. Early diagnosis and active intervention is the key to reducing debilitating complications associated with diabetes.