Pre-pregnancy planning for women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes:

It is more important for women with pre-existing diabetes to plan their pregnancy to achieve the best chance of a healthy baby

Why is this?

Glucose control

Good blood glucose control for a few months before you conceive and in the early weeks of pregnancy decreases your risk of early miscarriage and birth defects in your baby. High sugar levels can damage a developing baby and can interfere with the way the placenta develops.

Come and talk to the Pregnancy Diabetes Team- Janet and Jo- about your diabetes control and HbA1c targets for you to aim for before you get pregnant. We will recommend an appropriate HbA1c for you and help you to achieve this.

HbA1c is the measure of your average blood glucose level over the previous 3 months

Other Issues around your diabetes

It is good to be aware of any diabetes complications and ensure they are stable prior to pregnancy.

Your eyes- when was your last check-up? If you have eye complications that require treatment, it is best to sort this out before pregnancy, to reduce the risk of any deterioration during pregnancy.

Your kidney function- do your kidneys leak protein? We want to talk about how best to manage this before and during pregnancy. We will want to check whether you have more significant problems with your kidney function (creatinine) before you become pregnant, as this can be associated with increased risks of some pregnancy complications.

Your blood pressure - are you on medication that needs to be changed prior to or in early pregnancy? Discussion about role of low dose aspirin

Other complications – we need to assess whether there are any other factors that may create problems for a pregnancy. Also, whether any medications you use need to be stopped or changed to something else that is safer in pregnancy.

Other pregnancy issues

Contraception- needs to be reliable until you have been given the go ahead to conceive from your doctor.

Folic acid- it is recommended that women take a folic acid supplement at least one month before pregnancy and for the first three months.

Aim for a healthy weight prior to conception. Healthy eating and regular exercise before and during pregnancy have many benefits which include assisting with weight management in pregnancy, encouraging a positive mood and helping you return to a healthy weight after baby is born.

Cervical smear- is this up-to-date?

Smoking- decrease your risk of a multitude of pregnancy complications by quitting prior to pregnancy. Call Quit Line for help

Alcohol/ Drugs- avoid alcohol and other drugs completely in pregnancy

Vaccinations- do you have immunity to Rubella? Are there other vaccinations you need to think about?

Dental care- have you had a recent visit to the dentist?We are currently creating content for this section. In order to be able to keep up with our high standards of service, we need a little more time.