I have diabetes, can I get pregnant right now?

You can decide for yourself or listen to a doctor's advice. Anyway, this information will help you to really assess the situation and discuss with the doctor possible options.

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

• Do you have a normal blood sugar level normal or higher (lower)? Future mothers with a diagnosis of diabetes before they become pregnant should have a blood sugar level as close to normal as possible. This will reduce the likelihood of a child with congenital defects, premature birth and other complications. Check the blood sugar level throughout the day to make sure that it is normal. If this is not the case, use contraceptives until it is normalized.
• Do you take drugs to control diabetes? Your doctor can change them for insulin or prescribe others before pregnancy. If you followed the advice of a doctor, make sure that new drugs control the blood sugar level, and only then think about pregnancy.
• Do you inject insulin? Consult a physician before becoming pregnant so that it can change the dosage or route of administration, if necessary. If you choose the right dose before the pregnancy, the risk of fluctuating blood sugar levels will drop significantly during pregnancy.
• Do you take medications to treat other diseases? Discuss this with a doctor before pregnancy so that he can change the course of treatment or prohibit their use.
• Diabetes provoked a kidney disease or affected the eyesight? If so, then pregnancy can only worsen your health. High blood pressure in turn can adversely affect the development of the child during pregnancy.
• Do you already have children? If so, did diabetes affect their development?
• Do you take vitamin B6 (folic acid)? Daily intake of multivitamins and prenatal vitamins that contain folic acid reduces the risk of a child with congenital defects.

What if diabetes should be taken before the pregnancy?

Pregnancy can go without complications if you normalize the blood sugar level before it starts at normal pressure and there are no problems with the kidneys. Controlling the blood sugar level lowers the risk of having a baby with congenital defects, premature birth and other possible complications. Experts advise to bring the level back to normal for 3-6 months before pregnancy. To do this, you should actively engage in sports, eat healthy foods, lose weight if necessary and take medications prescribed by a doctor.

What should you talk to your doctor about?

Preparations

It is very important to tell the doctor that you are going to become pregnant. If you are taking medications to control diabetes, your doctor can replace them with insulin or other drugs. If you are taking insulin, consult a doctor so that if necessary, you can change the dosage or mode of administration (insulin dispenser or injection). Also, tell the doctor about the drugs you use to treat other diseases. Discuss all this with the doctor before pregnancy so that he can correct the course of treatment or prohibit their use in order to avoid harming the future child.

Screening

If you have diabetes, you should regularly visit a doctor for preventive examinations. This is especially important before the planned pregnancy. The screening test includes:

• Diagnosis of vision for signs of retinopathy (non-inflammatory retinal lesion).
• Analysis of blood and urine to determine kidney disease.
• Measurement of blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause complications during pregnancy and harm the future child, as well as provoke premature birth (as the placenta is broken).
• Blood test for sugar level. The doctor, if necessary, will give recommendations on controlling blood sugar levels before and during pregnancy.

Uncontrolled diabetes, and how it can appear on pregnancy.

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

Possible complications

• Birth Defects
• Premature birth
• Low blood sugar
• Jaundice
• The birth of a child weighing more than usual, which leads to complications of the health of the newborn.
• Birth of a child with insufficient weight, which was caused by high blood pressure, kidney disease and impaired functioning of the placenta.
• Lethal outcome, although this happens in very rare cases, as most pregnant women use insulin to control blood sugar levels.

Risk factors for a prospective mother:

• Premature birth.
• Kidney disease if the creatinine level is 2.0 mg / dl.
• High blood pressure during pregnancy.
• A decrease in vision, which can normalize soon after the birth of the child.

Pregnancy and diabetes: Pregnancy planning

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

Basic moments

• If you have diabetes, and you are planning a pregnancy, bring the blood sugar level back to normal. This will help to avoid the risk of premature birth, birth defects in the child and to maintain health.
• Often check the blood sugar level.
• Do regular exercise and stick to a healthy diet. This will help maintain a healthy weight or, if necessary, lose those extra pounds before the pregnancy begins.
• Before pregnancy, take supplements that contain folic acid. This will reduce the child's risk of a neural tube defect.
• If you are taking non-prescription medicines, be sure to consult your doctor about stopping their use or changing them to others before the pregnancy.
• If you smoke, try alone or with the help of a doctor to abandon this destructive habit, as tobacco adversely affects the baby and increases the risk of complications during pregnancy.
• If you have kidney disease and poor eyesight, be sure to consult a doctor, as these diseases can become severe during pregnancy.

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How to plan a pregnancy with diabetes?

If you have diabetes and you plan to become a mother, take measures to improve your health immediately prior to conception. This will help you and your child to avoid complications during pregnancy and after childbirth. The first thing to do is bring the blood sugar back to normal. This can help regular exercise, proper nutrition and insignificant weight loss.

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

In the first weeks of pregnancy, the baby's organs begin to form. Elevated blood sugar levels affect their development and the baby can come into the world with birth defects. But if you control diabetes, the risk of having a baby with disabilities is significantly reduced. Most women learn that they are pregnant, only after a few weeks. If during this period the blood sugar level does not correspond to the norm, the risk of preterm labor in such women is significantly increased. That is why it is so important when planning pregnancy to take care that the diabetes does not harm you and your future child.

High blood pressure can also cause:

• Birth of a child with excess weight. If the mother had a high blood sugar level during pregnancy, this can be transmitted to the child. The child is overweight and, therefore, the birth is complicated.
• Birth of a child with low blood sugar. This happens when the baby's body produces more insulin to eliminate excess blood sugar during pregnancy. In some cases, the child's body continues to work out even after birth. This, in turn, leads to a low level of sugar in the blood. If you leave it at that, the child's health will be jeopardized.

Jaundice, as a result of which the skin and sclera of the eyes have an icteric color. The development of jaundice is associated with a high content of a special substance in the blood from the group of bile pigments, 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. Such a disease is often found in children born to women with high blood sugar.

How do I normalize my blood sugar before I get pregnant?

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

• Balanced eat. If you are overweight before pregnancy, you should lose some weight, lose 5-10 kg and normalize blood sugar. There are many ways to control when and how much you eat. In this you can help a dietician and a doctor.
• Regularly play sports. Select at least 30 minutes for daily exercise. During training, the body controls blood sugar by absorbing it during and after intensive sessions. Sport helps maintain healthy weight, lower high cholesterol, and increases high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol), and lowers high blood pressure. Walking, running, cycling and swimming are good for diabetics. Consult a physician before starting workouts.
• Take medications or insulin strictly according to the doctor's prescription. Be sure to inform the doctor that you plan to become a mother. You should also talk about other drugs that you take, including over-the-counter drugs.
• Systematically check the blood sugar level. This will help determine how medications, exercise and nutrition affect the blood sugar. It is also important to take folic acid before and during pregnancy, which in turn will prevent the development of a neural tube defect in a child.
• If you smoke, try to give up this bad habit. Tobacco can harm a child and increase the risk of exacerbation of the disease.
• If you have kidney disease and poor eyesight, be sure to consult a doctor, as these diseases can become severe during pregnancy.