Pregnancy and Diabetes

Pregnancy and diabetes takes some senisible planning as a diabetic woman. You will need to have tight blood glucose control, as hyperglycemia during pregnancy can pose risks to the unborn baby. There are other risks involved with pregnancy and diabetes, like spontaneous abortions, miscarriages, or ectopic pregnancies in women with diabetes. There are also chances of the baby becoming very big, making it a difficult birth. And a difficult birth poses problems for the newborn child such as hypoglycemia.

Pregnancy and diabetes takes planning. Read my partner's site on pregnancy for more information.

When diabetic females become pregnant, they need to have clear target blood glucose ranges in mind. Blood sugar levels should be kept at something like:

70-100 Fasting and before meals

Below 140 1 hour after meals

Below 120 2 hours after meals

Your healthcare team in your pregnancy should be well-rounded and include a dietitian, endocrinologist, your regular MD, and of course your obstetrician. Your team during pregnancy should coordinate and work together to serve your healthcare needs during this time.

Prenatal vitamins are also strongly advised in diabetes and pregnancy, as for women who are not diabetic. Vitamin B with folic acid is important to lower the risks of birth defects with the unborn baby.

If you are having any diabetes complications, it can make diabetes and pregnancy very risky. Anything like retinopathies, kidney problems you are having, or other related diabetic problems will have to be monitored very closely while pregnant. You will need to be carefully treated closely to avoid any serious problems happening with yourself and the baby. Some women decide after having diabetic problems that it is often not worth becoming pregnant as it can carry serious risks.

Children born from diabetic women also have a higher risk of coming down with diabetes themselves. When a woman has type 1 diabetes, her offspring have about a 5% chance of developing diabetes in their lifetimes. When the male and female both have diabetes of type 1 or 2, chances are very high that the offspring will develop diabetes sometime in their life, about 40%.

Overall, women that decide to become pregnant with diabetes and have the very best care, have much lower chances of having children with a birth defect.

For good books on pregnancy and diabetes care, I suggest reading Diabetes and Pregnancy: What to Expect, 4th Edition. This is an excellent source of advice of all the best things to do while expecting children. Another one is 101 Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy with Diabetes. Either of these can be found at Amazon.com.

Breastfeeding may be an option for you after having your baby.

There are many fertility issues involved for couples trying to conceive other than diabetes. Look at this site for more information. Fertility and medical issues.

Groin, pubic bone and inner thigh pain are common in pregnancy, and may last for months after the birth. For more about Leg Pain during Pregnancy click this link here.