Diabetes Treatments and Pregnancy

If a mother has type 1 diabetes , pregnancy will affect her insulin treatment plan. During the months of pregnancy, the body’s need for insulin will increase. This is especially true during the last three months of pregnancy. The need for more insulin is caused by hormones that the placenta makes. The placenta makes hormones that help the baby grow. At the same time, these hormones block the action of the mother’s insulin. As a result, a woman's insulin needs will increase.

If a mother has type 2 diabetes , she will need to plan ahead. If a woman is taking diabetes pills to control blood glucose, she will not be able to take them when she is pregnant because they can cause birth defect s. Oral hypoglycemics can also cause hypoglycemia in neonates . Your doctor will switch you to insulin before you get pregnant.

For further, more detailed information on this topic, consult the reference source for this information.

The information in this page is presented in summarised form and has been taken from the following source(s):
1. The American Diabetes Association: http://www.diabetes.org/