
July 26, 2000
Family Planning
Question from Leicester, United Kingdom:
I have had type 1 diabetes for four-and-one-half years. We have been trying to get pregnant for just over a year. Can having diabetes be affecting our fertility?
Answer:
Diabetes may interfere with fertility, but usually does not, particularly if you are in good glucose control, have no vascular disease and no evidence of associated thyroid dysfunction. There are many possible causes of infertility: hormonal, mechanical (obstruction), male factors, etc. If you have not become pregnant after a year of unprotected and relatively frequent intercourse (i.e., at least a couple of times per week), then evaluation by an infertility specialist is worth considering.
OWJ