It's not an easy diagnosis to hear when you're pregnant. With less than 12 weeks to go in her pregnancy, a woman I know shared that a test had revealed she has gestational diabetes — diabetes that is diagnosed during pregnancy.

"My main concern is for her," she said as she tearfully touched her growing belly.

I tried to comfort this mom with a few facts.

Yes, it's scary but gestational diabetes is very controllable. And, I told her, it wasn't her fault.

This condition affects up to 9% of pregnancies in the U.S. each year, according to the American Diabetes Association. And it is largely due to changes in a mom's hormones during the last stages of pregnancy. That's why tests to determine this condition are usually done between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy.

Some women are at higher risk

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