Question from Jupiter, Florida, USA:

I am looking to get the “green light” from my endocrinologist to start trying to get pregnant for the first time. I am 33 years old and a type 1 diabetic for 5 years. Five foot 2 inches, 100 pounds, and very healthy otherwise with no diabetic complications. I use Humalog and Ultralente to control my blood sugars and am currently taking 3 shots a day. Never in the last five years have I had a glycohemoglobin greater than 7.0. My last glycohemoglobin was 6.4. My blood glucose numbers are in good range (70-140) most the time. Occasional explained highs but with some more frequent overnight lows. My doctor is really encouraging me to switch to the insulin pump in hopes of dropping my glycohemoglobin into the five’s and eliminating some overnight lows. I am worried about switching to an insulin pump only for it to take another 3-4 months to adjust to a new regimen. I might be upsetting my current control just to chase a difference in numbers that may not be achievable all the while getting older. Is my doctor being too conservative? I feel like if I don’t take his advice and go forward with trying to get pregnant that I might be endangering the baby.