Diabetes

Treatment and Management:
Considerations Relating to Pregnancy

For Women at Risk for Diabetes
You are at risk for diabetes if you:

• are pregnant and over 25 years old
• were overweight before you become pregnant
• have a family history of diabetes
• are Hispanic, African, Asian, Native American, or a Pacific Islander

If you are pregnant and at risk for diabetes, have your blood glucose checked about two-thirds through your pregnancy (between the 24th and 28th weeks).

For Women With Diabetes
If you are a woman with diabetes, tight control of blood glucose even before you become pregnant can reduce your risk of problems during pregnancy. While you are pregnant, blood glucose monitoring and control are important in ensuring the health of both you and your baby.

Some women can bring their blood glucose under control by following a meal plan recommended by their doctor, dietitian, or diabetes educator. Other pregnant women may need to take insulin as well. Research has not yet shown whether most oral diabetes medications (pills) are safe to use during pregnancy. So, if you are pregnant, do not start taking diabetes pills without talking to your doctor first. If you are taking diabetes pills when you discover you are pregnant, ask your doctor whether to continue taking them.

Your diet, medication, and physical activity plan may need to be modified for each stage of your pregnancy. Frequent blood glucose monitoring will show when changes need to be made. The need for change may continue after the birth of your child, especially if you plan to breastfeed your baby.

To ensure a successful pregnancy, work closely with your diabetes health care team.

For more information, see the patient education sheet titled Diabetes Pregnancy (pdf).

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