Low Blood Sugar During Pregnancy: What to Do
Low blood sugar during pregnancy is something many women may not have heard of. When it comes to blood sugar levels, gestational diabetes (high blood sugar) gets almost all of the attention.
But what if your blood sugar is swinging the other way? If you're feeling shaky between meals, running on empty no matter how much you eat, or battling nausea and brain fog that doesn't let up, you might be dealing with a low blood sugar pregnancy.
Here's what it means and practical tips on how to improve it!
Table of Contents
What Is Low Blood Sugar in Pregnancy?
Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, happens when the glucose in your blood drops below the level your body needs to function well.
During pregnancy, your body is working overtime, growing a baby, expanding your blood volume, shifting your hormones, and all of that puts extra demand on your glucose stores.
Your body is usually able to compensate for this, but pregnancy disrupts some of the normal mechanisms that keep your blood sugar steady.
Clinically, low blood sugar is defined as a reading below 70 mg/dL.
Research has found that hypoglycemia is more frequent during pregnancy compared to non-pregnant women, occurring in approximately 36% to 71% of pregnant women who require insulin. That's a wide range, and it reflects how much individual variation there is!
Learn more about your blood sugar levels during pregnancy.
Low Blood Sugar Symptoms Pregnancy
Low blood sugar symptoms tend to come on quickly, and they can range from mild to more intense depending on how low your glucose has dropped.
You may experience:
Shaking or trembling
Lightheadedness or dizziness
Sudden sweating
Intense hunger
Trouble concentrating
Weakness
Fatigue
Irritability or mood shifts
Nausea
Racing heartbeat
If your blood sugar drops further, symptoms can become more pronounced and include confusion, blurred vision, difficulty speaking, or feeling close to fainting.
At that point, it's important to eat or drink something with fast-acting carbohydrates right away and to let your care provider know what's happening.
Pregnancy can sometimes make it harder to recognize these symptoms, especially in the first trimester. You may think that they're related to morning sickness or are just a normal part of pregnancy.
But if you're feeling persistently drained, shaky, or "off" between meals, it's worth considering whether blood sugar might be part of what's going on.
What Causes Low Blood Sugar in Pregnancy?
There are a few different reasons blood sugar can drop during pregnancy, and they don't all have to do with diabetes.
Not eating enough
The most straightforward cause is simply not eating often enough or not eating the right balance of foods to keep your glucose steady.
During pregnancy, your body burns through fuel faster than it does outside of pregnancy. If you're going long stretches without eating or eating in ways that cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash, your levels can dip below where they need to be.
Morning sickness
Severe morning sickness is another big factor. If you're vomiting often or struggling to keep food down, your body isn't getting the consistent glucose intake it needs to stay stable.
Insulin/medication dosing
For women who are managing diabetes during pregnancy with insulin or other medications, dosing is a common culprit. Pregnancy changes how your body responds to insulin over time, and what worked before pregnancy, or even earlier in your pregnancy, may be too much as your needs shift.
Exercise
Exercise can also lower blood sugar if you're moving more than your body is prepared for without enough fuel beforehand. This doesn't mean you should avoid being active! It just means pairing movement with consistent, nutrient-dense eating.
Is Low Blood Sugar Bad During Pregnancy?
A lot of the time, low blood glucose levels aren't something that you should worry about in a healthy pregnancy. But it largely depends on how often it's happening and how severe it is.
An occasional, mild dip in blood sugar that you catch and correct quickly by eating a snack with protein and some carbohydrates is unlikely to cause lasting harm.
But it can become a concern when low blood sugar is happening regularly, or when it's dropping to levels that are consistently causing symptoms.
Not to mention, experiencing low blood sugar symptoms can be very uncomfortable.
Low Blood Sugar in Pregnancy: Effects on Baby
Your baby depends on a steady supply of glucose from you. Glucose crosses the placenta and serves as one of the primary fuel sources for your baby's growth and brain development. When your blood sugar drops, your baby's access to that fuel can be affected too.
For mild or occasional episodes of low blood sugar, the effects on your baby are generally minimal.
But when low blood sugar is persistent or severe, there may be more concerns about your baby's health, such as slower fetal growth and lower birth weight.
Moreover, severe hypoglycemia can sometimes trigger health problems for you, including seizures and a loss of consciousness, which need treatment right away.
What to Do for Low Blood Sugar During Pregnancy
1. Build blood sugar-stabilizing meals
The single best thing you can do is make sure your meals and snacks have the right combination of nutrients working together.
Protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates all slow down the rate at which glucose enters your bloodstream, which means your blood sugar stays steadier for longer, instead of spiking and crashing.
Aim for something like this at each meal:
Protein: Meat, fish, seafood, eggs, collagen-rich broths. You're looking for around 100g or more each day to support both you and your baby.
Healthy fats: Olive oil, butter, avocado. These help your body absorb nutrients and keep you feeling satisfied between meals.
Fiber-rich carbohydrates: Root vegetables, fruit, soaked grains. Aim for roughly 90–140g of carbohydrates each day, and prioritize sources that come with fiber, which slows glucose absorption.
When these three are on the plate together, your blood sugar has a much easier time staying where it needs to be. If you struggle with eating enough protein during pregnancy, take a look at these protein pregnancy guidelines + tips or try making some of my favorite chicken recipes!
2. Eat frequently
This one might sound obvious, but during pregnancy, going long stretches without food is one of the fastest ways to let your blood sugar drop. Your baby is pulling glucose from you around the clock, so your body needs a steady stream of fuel to keep up.
Eating every two to three hours, even if it's just a small snack, makes a big difference.
And having something before bed is particularly important, since that's the longest stretch of time you'll go without eating. Something like a boiled egg with a quarter cup of cottage cheese gives you protein and fat to carry you through the night without a big spike or crash.
3. Consider gentle monitoring
If you're dealing with symptoms and want to understand what's happening with your blood sugar, there are a few low-pressure ways to get more information.
Some women find it helpful to:
Get periodic lab work: A fasting glucose or A1c check can give you a baseline snapshot of where things stand. If you're working with a provider like me, I can draw labs directly!
Use a glucose monitor short-term: Wearing a continuous glucose monitor for a week or two (with guidance) can show you how your blood sugar is responding to your meals, sleep, and activity.
Work with a practitioner who looks beyond "normal" ranges: Standard lab ranges aren't designed with pregnancy in mind, and they don't always catch the subtler imbalances that are affecting how you feel day to day.
You don't need to obsess over your blood sugar levels, but gathering enough information can make you feel more informed and supported.
What to Avoid with Low Blood Sugar During Pregnancy
When your blood sugar is already running low, it's tempting to reach for something sweet or starchy to bring it back up quickly. In the moment, it'll work, but it usually makes things worse over time.
Sugary snacks and refined carbohydrates on their own—things like crackers, fruit juice by itself, or candy—cause a sharp spike in blood sugar, followed by an even sharper crash.
That crash can create a cycle that's hard to break out of.
The better move is to pair any carbohydrate with protein and fat, which slows the whole process down and keeps your blood sugar from swinging so dramatically.
FAQs
I have low blood sugar during pregnancy, but I'm not diabetic.
You don't need a diabetes diagnosis for low blood sugar to be a problem. Pregnancy changes the way your body regulates glucose, and your nutritional needs are higher than they've ever been. All of that can cause your blood sugar to dip, even if your glucose levels have always been perfectly normal before. If you're experiencing symptoms between meals, it's worth taking seriously regardless of whether diabetes is in the picture.
Can pregnancy cause low blood sugar?
Yes, pregnancy puts a lot of demand on your body's ability to keep glucose steady. The placenta delivers sugar to your baby around the clock, and factors like morning sickness or not eating frequently enough can all contribute to drops.
Can low blood sugar affect the fetus?
It can, but only when it's happening often or dropping to significant levels of severe hypoglycemia. Your baby relies on glucose from your bloodstream as one of its main sources of energy, especially for brain development. But occasional, mild low glucose levels are unlikely to cause harm.
How can I quickly raise my blood sugar when pregnant?
Eat or drink something with fast-acting carbohydrates, such as natural fruit juice or a tablespoon of honey. Once your blood sugar has come back up, follow it with a more balanced snack that includes protein and fat so it stays stable. Try to avoid eating things like artificial candy to get your blood sugar levels back up, especially in large amounts.
Get Wild + Well Support with Nutrition During Pregnancy
Navigating pregnancy nutrition on your own, especially when something like blood sugar instability is in the mix, can feel like a lot.
As a certified prenatal nutritionist, I work with women to build a personalized approach to eating that supports how they feel, trimester by trimester.
If you're ready to stop guessing and start feeling supported, I'd love to help with my pregnancy nutrition services!
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