If you’re diabetic and pregnant, or are planning to have children in the future, it’s important that you know what consequences may arise in child development.
A study led by researchers at Newcastle University suggests that pregnant women with diabetes are have four times the risk to have a baby with a birth defect than women without the condition. The likelihood of this occurring is associated to the mother’s glucose level.
According to the study, as many at 1 in 13 births from women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes may result in a birth defect. The findings also showed that the level of glycemia at the time of conception was one of the most important factors in predicting congenital abnormalities.
Birth defects can be present in any part of the body, and include defects that can cause heart disease, defects of the nervous system. Other consequences of birth defects are stillbirth, ongoing health problems and/or pregnancy loss.
This is yet another important reason for careful planned parenthood. This study is evidence that women with diabetes have a higher risk of a congenital defect, they still can do something to manage high blood sugar and potentially reduce the risk of birth defects in their offspring.
