April 29, 2001
Family Planning, Genetics and Heredity
Question from LeRoy, Illinois, USA:
I am a 23 year old with type 1 diabetes who is getting married next month and would like to start a family in a couple of years. I am worried about the effects that pregnancy will have on my body and about the chance of my children developing diabetes. Could you give me some information?
Answer:
If you come into a pregnancy with no current complications from diabetes (retinal disease, kidney disease, hypertension) and good glucose control you should tolerate pregnancy well. The risk of diabetes in your children is difficult to predict since there are many reasons why people develop diabetes. However, you may want to speak with your endocrinologist about early screening of your children.
OWJ