Pregnancy and Diabetes: Planning for Pregnancy
Introduction
Talk to your doctor if you have
type 1 or
type 2 diabetes and are planning to get pregnant. To make sure
that both you and your baby stay healthy, you
may need to fine-tune your diabetes care before you get pregnant.
Key Points
- If you have diabetes and want to get pregnant, the
most important thing you can do is to get your blood sugar in
your target range. This can help
prevent miscarriages and birth defects in your baby and can help keep you
healthy.
- Check your blood sugar often, so you will know if your
blood sugar is under control.
- Get regular exercise, and eat healthy
foods. This can keep you at a healthy weight or help you lose weight, if you need to, before you
get pregnant.
- Take
folic acid supplements before you get pregnant. This
may help prevent
neural tube defects in the baby.
- If you
take medicine, including
over-the-counter medicine, talk to your doctor to see
if you need to stop or change it before you get pregnant.
- If you
smoke, talk to your doctor about getting help to quit. Smoking can harm your
baby and increases the chances that you will have problems from
diabetes.
- Have your doctor check for problems from diabetes, such
as eye or kidney disease. These problems can get worse during pregnancy.
Planning for pregnancy when you have diabetes means finding ways to
improve your health before you get pregnant. This will help both you and your
baby stay healthy during and after your pregnancy. The most important thing you
can do is to control your blood sugar and keep it in your target
range.
Getting regular exercise and eating
healthy foods, as well as losing weight if you need to, can help get your blood
sugar where it needs to be.
Test Your Knowledge
If you have diabetes, getting your blood sugar under
control is the most important thing you can do to prepare for
pregnancy.
-
True
This answer is correct.
If you have diabetes and want to get pregnant,
the most important thing you can do is to get your blood sugar under control.
This can help prevent miscarriages and birth defects in your baby and keep you
healthy.
-
False
This answer is incorrect.
If you have diabetes and want to get pregnant,
the most important thing you can do is to get your blood sugar under control.
This can help prevent miscarriages and birth defects in your baby and keep you
healthy.
-
Continue to Why?
During the first few weeks of pregnancy, the baby's organs are already
forming. If your blood sugar is high during that time, it can affect how your
baby's organs develop and can cause birth defects. But if your blood sugar is
under control when you get pregnant, you lower the risk that your baby will
have problems. Most women don't know that they are pregnant until after those
first weeks. Also, women whose blood sugar is not controlled before they get
pregnant tend to have more miscarriages. So be sure to plan ahead to get
your blood sugar under control before you start trying to get pregnant.
High blood sugar during pregnancy can also lead to other problems,
including:
- A larger-than-normal baby at birth. When the
mother has high blood sugar, the extra sugar is passed on to the baby. This
causes the baby to get bigger. It may increase the future risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the child. And big babies can cause problems for both mother
and baby during delivery.
- Low blood sugar in the baby after birth.
This happens because the baby's body releases more insulin to deal with the
extra sugar during the pregnancy. Sometimes the baby's body continues to
release more insulin after the baby is born. This can lead to low blood sugar,
which can be an emergency if it's not treated.
-
Jaundice
, which means that the skin and the whites of
a baby's eyes appear yellow because of a buildup of
bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is a yellow-brown
substance produced by the breakdown of red blood cells in the body. Women who
have diabetes are more likely than those who don't have diabetes to have babies
with jaundice.
Test Your Knowledge
Diabetes that is not under control can lead to birth
defects.
-
True
This answer is correct.
A baby's organs form within the first few weeks
of pregnancy. Most women don't know that they are pregnant until after those
first weeks, so it's important to plan ahead to get your blood sugar under
control before you start trying to get pregnant. This may lower your baby's
risk of birth defects and other problems. It may also lower your risk of a
miscarriage.
-
False
This answer is incorrect.
A baby's organs form within the first few weeks
of pregnancy. Most women don't know that they are pregnant until after those
first weeks, so it's important to plan ahead to get your blood sugar under
control before you start trying to get pregnant. This may lower your baby's
risk of birth defects and other problems. It may also lower your risk of a
miscarriage.
-
Continue to How?
You play a major role in managing your diabetes. Work with your
doctor to keep your blood sugar as close to your target
range as possible before you get pregnant. To do this:
- Eat a balanced diet. And if you are
overweight, try to cut calories in your diet to lose some weight before you get
pregnant. Losing as little as 10 to 20 pounds can improve your blood sugar
levels. There are many ways to manage how much and when you eat. Your doctor, a
diabetes educator, or a dietitian can help you find a plan that works for you.
- Exercise regularly. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise on most,
preferably all, days of the week. Exercise helps control your blood sugar by
making your body use glucose for energy during and after activity. It also
helps you stay at a healthy weight; lower
high cholesterol; raise
HDL, or good, cholesterol; and lower
high blood pressure. Walking, running, biking, and
swimming are good activities for people with diabetes. Talk to your doctor
about starting a
safe exercise program.
- Take your medicine or
insulin if prescribed, but let your doctor know that you are planning to get
pregnant. Also let your doctor know about any other medicines you take,
including over-the-counter medicine, to see if you need to make any changes
before you get pregnant.
- Check your blood sugar levels regularly,
as advised by your doctor. This will help you figure out how medicine,
exercise, and food affect your blood sugar.
If you have high blood pressure, check with your doctor before getting pregnant, if possible. Blood pressure goals may be lower during pregnancy. And many medicines for high blood pressure are unsafe for a developing fetus.
It is also important to take folic acid supplements before
and during your pregnancy. This may help prevent neural tube defects in the
baby.
If you smoke, talk to your doctor about getting help to
quit. Smoking can harm your baby and increases the chances that you will have
problems from diabetes.
Before you start trying to get pregnant,
have your doctor check for problems from diabetes, such as eye or kidney
disease. These problems can get worse during pregnancy.
Test Your Knowledge
Getting regular exercise is a good way to control your
blood sugar.
-
True
This answer is correct.
Getting regular exercise is a good way to
control your blood sugar. Exercise helps control your blood sugar by making
your body use glucose for energy during and after activity. It also helps you
stay at a healthy weight; lower high cholesterol; raise HDL, or good,
cholesterol; and lower high blood pressure. Walking, running, biking, and
swimming are good activities for people with diabetes.
-
False
This answer is incorrect.
Getting regular exercise is a good way to
control your blood sugar. Exercise helps control your blood sugar by making
your body use glucose for energy during and after activity. It also helps you
stay at a healthy weight; lower high cholesterol; raise HDL, or good,
cholesterol; and lower high blood pressure. Walking, running, biking, and
swimming are good activities for people with diabetes.
-
Continue to Where?
Now that you have read this
information, you are ready to get your blood sugar under control and plan a
healthy pregnancy.
Talk to your doctor
If you have questions about this information, print
it out and take it to your next doctor visit. You may want to mark areas or
make notes in the margins where you have questions.
If you are
planning to get pregnant and haven't talked with your doctor about getting your
blood sugar under control, now is a good time to make an appointment.
If you would like more information on planning a healthy
pregnancy when you have diabetes, the following resources are available:
Organizations
|
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
|
| 120 South Riverside Plaza |
| Suite 2000 |
| Chicago, IL 60606-6995 |
| Phone: |
1-800-877-0877 |
| Email: |
knowledge@eatright.org |
| Web Address: |
www.eatright.org |
| |
|
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics sets standards for all types of prescribed diets. The
organization produces a variety of consumer information, including videos. This group will help you find a registered dietitian in your area who
provides nutrition counseling.
|
|
|
American Diabetes Association (ADA)
|
| 1701 North Beauregard Street |
| Alexandria, VA 22311 |
| Phone: |
1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) |
| Email: |
AskADA@diabetes.org |
| Web Address: |
www.diabetes.org |
| |
|
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a national organization
for health professionals and consumers. Almost every state has a local office.
ADA sets the standards for the care of people with diabetes. Its focus is on
research for the prevention and treatment of all types of diabetes. ADA
provides patient and professional education mainly through its publications,
which include the monthly magazine Diabetes Forecast,
books, brochures, cookbooks and meal planning guides, and pamphlets. ADA also
provides information for parents about caring for a child with diabetes.
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Return to topic:
Credits
|
By
|
Healthwise Staff |
|
Primary Medical Reviewer
|
E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine |
|
Specialist Medical Reviewer
|
Jennifer Hone, MD - Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism |
|
Last Revised
|
June 29, 2011 |
Last Revised:
June 29, 2011