I have diabetes, can I get pregnant now?

You can make the decision yourself or listen to the doctor's advice. Either way, this information will help you to realistically assess the situation and discuss possible options with your doctor.

If you have diabetes and want to have a baby, please read the following carefully:

• Is your blood sugar level normal or higher (lower)? Expectant mothers diagnosed with diabetes should have their blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible before becoming pregnant. This will reduce the chances of having a baby with birth defects, premature birth, and other complications. Check your blood sugar levels throughout the day to make sure they are within the normal range. If they are not, use contraception until they are normal.
• Are you taking medications to control diabetes? Your doctor may change them to insulin or other medications before you become pregnant. If you follow your doctor's advice, make sure the new medications control your blood sugar levels before you consider pregnancy.
• Do you take insulin? Talk to your doctor before you become pregnant so that he or she can change the dosage or method of administration if necessary. If you choose the right dose before you become pregnant, the risk of blood sugar fluctuations during pregnancy will be significantly reduced.
• Are you taking medications for other conditions? Discuss this with your doctor before you become pregnant so that he or she can change your medication or stop using it.
• Has diabetes caused kidney disease or affected your vision? If so, pregnancy can only worsen your health. High blood pressure, in turn, can negatively affect the development of the child during pregnancy.
• Do you already have children? If so, has diabetes affected their development?
• Do you take vitamin B6 (folic acid)? Taking daily multivitamins and prenatal vitamins that contain folic acid reduces the risk of having a baby with birth defects.

What should be done before pregnancy if you have diabetes?

Pregnancy can be without complications if you normalize your blood sugar levels before pregnancy, with normal blood pressure and no kidney problems. Controlling your blood sugar levels reduces the risk of having a baby with birth defects, premature birth, and other possible complications. Experts recommend normalizing your levels 3-6 months before pregnancy. To do this, you should actively exercise, eat healthy foods, lose weight if necessary, and take medications prescribed by your doctor.

What should you talk to your doctor about?

Preparations

It is very important to tell your doctor that you are planning to become pregnant. If you are taking medications to control diabetes, your doctor may replace them with insulin or other medications. If you are injecting insulin, consult your doctor so that he or she can change the dosage or method of administration (insulin pump or injection) if necessary. You should also tell your doctor about the medications you are using to treat other conditions. Discuss all of this with your doctor before you become pregnant so that he or she can adjust the course of treatment or prohibit their use to avoid harm to the unborn child.

Screening

If you have diabetes, you should visit your doctor regularly for preventive examinations. This is especially important before you plan to become pregnant. Screening tests include:

• Diagnostics of vision for signs of retinopathy (non-inflammatory damage to the retina).
• Blood and urine tests to determine kidney disease.
• Measuring blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause complications during pregnancy and harm the unborn child, as well as provoke premature birth (since the placenta is disrupted).
• Blood sugar test. If necessary, the doctor will give recommendations on monitoring blood sugar levels before and during pregnancy.

Uncontrolled diabetes and how it can affect pregnancy.

Uncontrolled diabetes increases the risk of complications during pregnancy for both mother and baby.

Possible complications

• Birth defects
• Premature birth
• Low blood sugar
• Jaundice
• The birth of a child with a higher than normal weight, which leads to health complications for the newborn.
• The birth of a baby with low birth weight due to high blood pressure, kidney disease and abnormal functioning of the placenta.
• Fatal outcome, although this happens in very rare cases, since most pregnant women use insulin to control their blood sugar levels.

Risk factors for the expectant mother:

• Premature birth.
• Kidney disease if creatinine level is 2.0 mg/dL.
• High blood pressure during pregnancy.
• Decreased vision, which may normalize soon after the birth of the child.

Pregnancy and Diabetes: Planning a Pregnancy

Consult your doctor if you have diabetes type 1 or 2 and want to become a mother. You should normalize your blood sugar level before pregnancy and maintain it for all 9 months. Only in this case your health and the health of the future baby will be safe.

Key points

• If you have diabetes and are planning a pregnancy, bring your blood sugar levels back to normal. This will help you avoid the risk of premature birth, birth defects in your baby, and maintain your health.
• Check your blood sugar levels frequently.
• Exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. This will help you maintain a healthy weight or, if necessary, lose extra pounds before you become pregnant.
• Before becoming pregnant, take supplements that contain folic acid. This will reduce the risk of neural tube defects in the baby.
• If you are taking over-the-counter medications, be sure to talk to your doctor about stopping or switching to other medications before you become pregnant.
• If you smoke, try to quit this harmful habit on your own or with the help of a doctor, since tobacco has a negative effect on the child and increases the risk of complications during pregnancy.
• If you have kidney disease or poor eyesight, be sure to consult your doctor, as these conditions can become much worse during pregnancy.

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How to plan pregnancy if you have diabetes?

If you have diabetes and are planning to become a mother, take steps to improve your health immediately before conceiving a child. This will help you and your baby avoid complications during pregnancy and after childbirth. The first thing to do is to normalize your blood sugar levels. Regular exercise, proper nutrition, and slight weight loss can help with this.

You have diabetes. What should you think about during pregnancy?

In the first weeks of pregnancy, the baby's organs begin to form. High blood sugar levels affect their development, and the baby may be born with birth defects. But if you control your diabetes, the risk of having a baby with abnormalities is significantly reduced. Most women find out that they are pregnant only after several weeks have passed. If blood sugar levels are not normal during this period, the risk of premature birth in such women increases significantly. That is why it is so important to take care when planning a pregnancy that diabetes does not harm you and your future baby.

High blood pressure can also cause:

• Giving birth to an overweight baby. If the mother had high blood sugar during pregnancy, this can be passed on to the baby. The baby is overweight and, therefore, the birth is complicated.
• Giving birth to a baby with low blood sugar. This happens when the baby's body produces more insulin to eliminate the excess sugar in the blood during pregnancy. In some cases, the baby's body continues to produce insulin even after birth. This, in turn, leads to low blood sugar. If left untreated, the baby's health will be at risk.

Jaundice, as a result of which the skin and sclera of the eyes have a yellowish color. The development of jaundice is associated with an increased content in the blood of a special substance from the group of bile pigments, which is called bilirubin. It has a characteristic golden-yellow color and is a product of the breakdown of hemoglobin and some other components of the blood. This disease is often found in children born to women with high blood sugar.

How to normalize blood sugar levels before pregnancy?

First of all, you yourself should be interested in this. Consult with your doctor and try to bring your blood sugar level closer to normal before pregnancy. To do this, you should:

• Eat a balanced diet. If you are overweight before pregnancy, you should lose some weight, lose 5-10 kg and normalize your blood sugar levels. There are many ways to control when and how much you eat. A nutritionist and your doctor can help you with this.
• Exercise regularly. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. When you exercise, your body controls blood sugar by absorbing it during and after intense exercise. Exercise helps maintain a healthy weight, lower high cholesterol, and raises high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol), as well as lowers high blood pressure. Walking, running, cycling, and swimming are good for people with diabetes. Consult your doctor before starting an exercise routine.
• Take medications or insulin strictly as prescribed by your doctor. Be sure to inform your doctor that you are planning to become a mother. You should also tell him about other medications you are taking, including over-the-counter medications.
• Check your blood sugar regularly. This will help you determine how medications, exercise, and diet are affecting your blood sugar. It is also important to take folic acid before and during pregnancy, which in turn will help prevent your baby from developing a neural tube defect.
• If you smoke, try to give up this bad habit. Tobacco can harm the child and increase the risk of exacerbation of the disease.
• If you have kidney disease or poor eyesight, be sure to consult your doctor, as these conditions can become much worse during pregnancy.