First Fork

Gestational diabetes blood sugar targets

The ADA and ACOG targets are: fasting below 95 mg/dL, and either below 140 mg/dL 1 hour after a meal or below 120 mg/dL 2 hours after a meal. Your clinic may set different numbers for you; theirs are the ones to follow.

Last reviewed 2026-09-21. Written by the First Fork team from the published guidelines listed below; not reviewed by a clinician. This page is not medical advice.

The published targets

CheckADA 20261ACOG2NICE (UK)3
Fastingbelow 95 mg/dL (5.3 mmol/L)below 95 mg/dLbelow 5.3 mmol/L (95 mg/dL)
1 hour after a mealbelow 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L)below 140 mg/dLbelow 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL)
2 hours after a mealbelow 120 mg/dL (6.7 mmol/L)below 120 mg/dLbelow 6.4 mmol/L (115 mg/dL)

Clinics use either the 1-hour or the 2-hour check, not both. mg/dL values in brackets for NICE are conversions (1 mmol/L = 18 mg/dL), rounded.

Why your clinic's numbers can differ

The ADA's patient guidance says targets may differ slightly between care systems and care teams, and to agree yours with your team.4 NICE asks clinicians to agree individual targets and to keep readings above the low end safely if you take insulin.3 The ADA patient page also gives a lower bound for fasting of 70 mg/dL.4

A reading above target

One high reading is not a failure. Gestational diabetes happens when pregnancy hormones interfere with insulin, and it can develop in women with no risk factors at all.5 Write it down with the meal and the time, and your care team uses the pattern to adjust your plan. If you feel unwell or your readings are high again and again, contact your clinic.

To write readings next to their targets, use the free printable log.

Questions

What is a normal fasting blood sugar with gestational diabetes?

The ADA and ACOG target is below 95 mg/dL (5.3 mmol/L). Your clinic may set a different number for you.

What should my blood sugar be 1 hour after eating?

Below 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) in the ADA, ACOG and NICE guidance.

What should my blood sugar be 2 hours after eating?

Below 120 mg/dL (6.7 mmol/L) in ADA and ACOG guidance; NICE uses 6.4 mmol/L (about 115 mg/dL).

Sources

  1. American Diabetes Association. 15. Management of Diabetes in Pregnancy: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. Diabetes Care 2026;49(Suppl. 1):S321. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12690181/
  2. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 190: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Obstet Gynecol 2018;131:e49–e64 (reaffirmed 2026). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29370047/
  3. NICE guideline NG3. Diabetes in pregnancy: management from preconception to the postnatal period (recommendations 1.3.3–1.3.6). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng3/chapter/Recommendations
  4. American Diabetes Association. Diabetes and Pregnancy (patient page). https://diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/pregnancy
  5. ACOG. Gestational Diabetes (FAQ 177, reviewed April 2026). https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/gestational-diabetes

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