May 24, 2003
Family Planning
Question from Bozeman, Montana, USA:
I have type 1 diabetes, and am trying to get pregnant. My hemoglobin A1c values have been the low 6% range. My last menstrual cycle started two months ago. This past weekend, I woke up with a blood sugar of 330 mg/dl [18.3 mmol/L] and throughout the day, it went up and down which is very strange for me. Even if I am sick, they are not like that. My blood sugars have gone down, and I am off my 60% increase on the pump. I have taken a pregnancy test, but it was negative Could my crazy blood sugars be very early signs of pregnancy? Did I take the test too early?
Answer:
For women with diabetes, an early sign of pregnancy can be fluctuations in glucose control. However, this is nonspecific and I would not rely on it as an indicator of conception. If you are having problems controlling your blood sugar, and you have missed a period you may want to get a blood pregnancy test from your doctor. This is much more sensitive at detecting an early gestation than home pregnancy testing.
OWJ
