THRIVING WITH DIABETES

Thinking of Becoming a Mom?

Take the Diabetes Risk Test—For Your Health and Your Baby’s

Whether you are a mother who has diabetes or are planning to be a mother, you and your family should be aware of important research announced last week in Diabetes Care.

The number of pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes is rapidly increasing, leading to increased health risks for both the mothers and their unborn children. The seriousness of this problem was brought home by a new ADA-funded study, which showed a doubling of the number of pregnant women with diabetes over a seven-year period.

“With Mother’s Day approaching, it’s a good time for women of childbearing age to think about the importance of maintaining their health, especially if they wish to become pregnant,” said Sue Kirkman, MD, ADA’s Vice President of Clinical Affairs. “Type 2 diabetes can often be prevented. And the consequences of not knowing your risk are not only harmful to women, they’re potentially quite serious for their unborn children.”

Women are at higher risk for diabetes if they:

• Are overweight
• Are physically inactive
• Are over the age of 45
• Have a family history of diabetes (parent, brother, or sister)
• Are a member of high-risk ethnic population (e.g., African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Asian American, Pacific Islander)
• Had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or had a baby weighing more than nine pounds at birth
• Have high blood pressure
• Have abnormal blood fat levels (cholesterol or triglycerides)
• Have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (a condition of irregular periods and infertility)
• Have ever been told you have pre-diabetes
• Have a history of heart disease or stroke

Having diabetes before you get pregnant – especially if it is poorly controlled or undiagnosed – raises the risk of having a miscarriage or a child with birth defects. Having diabetes before pregnancy or developing gestational diabetes increases the risk of having a very large baby, which can lead to birth complications. And gestational diabetes places both mother and child at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

To know your risk, take the American Diabetes Risk Test. If the test indicates a high risk, or if you are thinking of becoming pregnant and want to be certain, you should follow up with her doctor to be screened for diabetes.

The increased prevalence of pre-existing diabetes among pregnant women exists across all age groups and racial and ethnic backgrounds, the study found. Additionally, the earlier onset and longer duration of type 2 diabetes also suggests the women may develop diabetes-related complications at an earlier age, the researchers concluded.