In This Article
Subscribe to Health Updates
More Women Are Entering Pregnancy with Diabetes
April 28, 2008 01:58 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Contracting diabetes before pregnancy carries a number of risks, and a new study of nearly 200,000 women suggests the prevalence of the condition has doubled.
Email This30-Second Summary
The number of women who had diabetes before getting pregnant doubled between 1999 and 2005, according to a Kaiser Permanente study involving nearly 200,000 women.
“More young women are entering their reproductive years with diabetes, in part due to the fact that our society has become more overweight and obese,” said the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Jean Lawrence, in Medical News Today.
A woman and her baby face more risks if she has diabetes before becoming pregnant than if she develops gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Babies developing in women with uncontrolled type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at higher risk for birth defects, miscarriage and being extra large when born, according to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. There are also risks later on: “A large baby born to a woman with diabetes might have a greater chance of being obese and/or developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.”
Type 2 diabetes and obesity are related, according to the Obesity Action Coalition.
“The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is three to seven times higher in those who are obese than in normal weight adults,” write Joanne Rogers, a clinical nurse specialist in Pennsylvania, and Dr. Christopher Still, a member of the coalition’s board of directors.
“More young women are entering their reproductive years with diabetes, in part due to the fact that our society has become more overweight and obese,” said the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Jean Lawrence, in Medical News Today.
A woman and her baby face more risks if she has diabetes before becoming pregnant than if she develops gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Babies developing in women with uncontrolled type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at higher risk for birth defects, miscarriage and being extra large when born, according to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. There are also risks later on: “A large baby born to a woman with diabetes might have a greater chance of being obese and/or developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.”
Type 2 diabetes and obesity are related, according to the Obesity Action Coalition.
“The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is three to seven times higher in those who are obese than in normal weight adults,” write Joanne Rogers, a clinical nurse specialist in Pennsylvania, and Dr. Christopher Still, a member of the coalition’s board of directors.
Headline Link: Spike in number of pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes
Dr. Lawrence suggested that women with diabetes try to reduce their weight “by a few pounds” before getting pregnant. In addition, women should see their doctor to make sure their blood sugar is under control.
Source: Medical News Today
Related Topics: Diabetes and its effects on pregnancy
Diabetes in a father doesn’t have any affect on his child’s development, according to the CDC. The child could have a higher risk of developing diabetes later in life, though, depending on which type of diabetes the father has. This page addresses other questions about diabetes and pregnancy.
Source: CDC
Rogers and Still say treating obesity will also treat type 2 diabetes. They write, “Preventing and treating obesity will help in the prevention and treatment of diabetes.”
Source: Obesity Action Coalition
Reference: Learn more about diabetes, obesity
Learn more about type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes, including their causes, complications and treatments, with the findingDulcinea Diabetes Web Guide.
Source: findingDulcinea
Find out what causes obesity, how it’s prevented and treated, and where to find support with the findingDulcinea Obesity Web Guide.
Source: findingDulcinea
Most Recent Beyond The Headlines
© 2008 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
