View the Health Heart Book

Free

E-Newsletters

Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters

  • Housecall
  • Alzheimer's caregiving
  • Living with cancer
Connect with others who've been there. Share stories. Learn. Join Mayo Clinic's
online community.

Preparing for pregnancy: When you have diabetes

Pregnancy and diabetes doesn't have to be a risky combination. By preparing for pregnancy, you can boost the odds of delivering a healthy baby. Here's how.

By Mayo Clinic staff

If you have diabetes — either type 1 or type 2 — and you're thinking about having a baby, you might be concerned about the risks. To put your mind at ease, get serious about preparing for pregnancy. Controlling your blood sugar level and making healthy lifestyle choices before pregnancy can help you give your baby the healthiest start.

Start with a checkup

The first step in preparing for pregnancy is to see your health care provider for a consultation. Mention your interest in pregnancy. If you take oral diabetes medication, you might need to switch to insulin or make other changes to your diabetes treatment plan before you conceive. Other medication changes might be needed as well. For example, some medications — including certain drugs to treat high blood pressure or kidney problems — aren't recommended during pregnancy. If you have high blood pressure or signs of heart, eye, nerve or kidney disease — or other diabetes complications that could be aggravated by pregnancy — preparing for pregnancy might include treatment before conception.

Your health care provider might also suggest scheduling preconception appointments with an obstetrician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies, a diabetes educator, a registered dietitian or other specialists.

Focus on blood sugar control

Controlling your blood sugar level is the best way to prevent diabetes complications. When you're preparing for pregnancy, blood sugar control is more important than ever — even months before you conceive.

Your baby's brain, spinal cord, heart and other organs begin forming soon after conception, even before you know you're pregnant. If you have poor blood sugar control during the earliest days of pregnancy, your risk of miscarriage and your baby's risk of birth defects — particularly those affecting the brain, spinal cord and heart — increase. However, if you manage your blood sugar level before you conceive and throughout pregnancy, your odds of having a healthy baby are nearly the same as if you didn't have diabetes.

Your health care provider will help you establish your target blood sugar range. He or she will also evaluate your diabetes treatment plan and consider any changes that might be needed to improve it. For example, some women preparing for pregnancy might consider using an insulin pump or increasing the number of insulin injections to improve blood sugar control. The goal is to keep your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible.

Remember healthy-eating principles

Your diabetes diet probably includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. You can eat the same foods as you're preparing for pregnancy. If you're having trouble keeping your blood sugar level in your target range or you want to lose excess pounds before pregnancy, consult a registered dietitian. He or she can help you customize your diabetes meal plan to meet your pre-pregnancy needs.

To help fill any nutritional gaps, take prenatal vitamins that contain folic acid — ideally starting a few months before conception.

Next page
(1 of 2)
References
  1. Mersereau P, et al. Barriers to managing diabetes during pregnancy: The perceptions of health care practitioners. Birth. 2011;38:142.
  2. Tripathi A, et al. Preconception counseling in women with diabetes: A population-based study in the north of England. Diabetes Care. 2010;33:586.
  3. Zabihi S, et al. Understanding diabetic teratogenesis: Where are we now and where are we going? Birth Defects Research. 2010;88:779.
  4. Jovanovic L, et al. Prepregnancy evaluation and management of women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 16, 2011.
  5. 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/default.aspx. Accessed Sept. 16, 2011.
  6. Diabetes basics: Tips. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/tips/tips-search-results.html?tip_category=exercise&page=2. Accessed Sept. 16, 2011.
  7. Diabetes and pregnancy. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp051.cfm. Accessed Sept. 16, 2011.
  8. Before pregnancy. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/pregnant-women/before-pregnancy.html. Accessed Sept. 16, 2011.
  9. Tieu J, et al. Preconception care for diabetic women for improving maternal and infant health. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2010:CD007776. http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews. Accessed Sept. 16, 2011.
  10. Stress. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/stress.html. Accessed Sept. 16, 2011.
  11. Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 20, 2011.
DA00061 Dec. 16, 2011

© 1998-2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Print Share Reprints

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger