(Health.com) -- Women who develop a mild case of gestational
diabetes during pregnancy tend to have fewer complications and
healthier babies if the diabetes is treated, according to the
first large-scale randomized trial in the U.S. to address
whether such treatment leads to health benefits for mother and
child. Exactly when women should be treated for gestational
diabetes is still unclear, experts say. As many as 14 percent of
pregnant women in the U.S., or about 200,000 women annually,
develop gestational diabetes. This pregnancy-related diabetes
can cause the fetus to grow too rapidly, and the excess weight
can make delivery difficult and lead to complications. What's
more, gestational diabetes increases the risk of fetal death and
preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening rise in blood
pressure in the mother. However, the benefits of treating
gestational diabetes are somewhat controversial; although most
obstetricians screen and treat pregnant women for blood-sugar
abnormalities, the 2008 guidelines of