A Guide to Diabetes and Pregnancy
Although there are significant risks to women with diabetes throughout their pregnancy, doctors and diabetes specialists maintain that as long as women control their diabetes properly before and during pregnancy, there is no reason why they cannot give birth to a healthy baby. Different types of diabetes can affect pregnant women in different ways, so let’s take a look.
Type 1 diabetes is caused when the person’s body doesn’t produce any insulin, which is why it is highly rare that an expectant mother is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she already pregnant. Type 1 diabetes can be treated before and during the pregnancy by ensuring the mother (and therefore the baby) is getting the insulin they need.
Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes. More common amongst certain demographics including women over 40, overweight and of black or Asian ethnicity, type 2 diabetes can also change in severity during pregnancy. Because of the body’s growing demand for insulin in the body, the mother needs to have regular check-ups to ensure her and her baby’s blood glucose levels are kept at a healthy rate, whether by adapting their diet or through insulin pills or injections.
Gestational diabetes is the type that is caused by pregnancy, developing when the body cannot meet the additional insulin demands of both the mother and child. If untreated, gestational diabetes can lead to a range of health risks for both mother and child including a heightened chance of miscarriage and birth defects. Although gestational diabetes disappears after birth, mothers have more chance of developing type 2 diabetes later on in life.
Those with either pre-existing or pregnancy-induced diabetes needed worry, though. As long as it is detected and treated accordingly (the ideal level of glucose before and during pregnancy is 6.1%), those with type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes can go on to have healthy babies.
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