Diabetes is a condition in which the body's blood sugar and the hormone insulin are out of balance. It is one of the most common diseases in the United States, and the number is constantly increasing. There are three main types of diabetes:

• Type 1, where the body does not make enough insulin
• Type 2, in which the body does not produce enough insulin or does not use insulin properly
• Pregnancy (pronounced je-STEY-shuhn-ul ), which only occurs during pregnancy

The NICHD is one of several federal agencies and NIH institutes that support diabetes research. Although the Institute studies different aspects of all three types of diabetes, the NICHD is not the primary source for patient information on type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse at tps: //www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes and the National Diabetes Education Program at http://ndep.nih.gov provide detailed patient information on Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

The patient information in this topic focuses on gestational diabetes.

Additionally, the Research Information section of this topic describes the NICHD's research efforts related to all three types of diabetes - type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile diabetes), type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. The institute also studies factors that contribute to diabetes, such as obesity , and conditions related to diabetes, such as polycystic ovary syndrome .

Common name

• Diabetes

Medical or scientific names

• Diabetes mellitus (pronounced mell-EH-tiss )
• Gestational diabetes mellitus