July 12, 2001
Family Planning
Question from San Diego, California, USA:
I’m currently 29 years old and have had type 1 diabetes since age 12. I’ve managed to keep fairly good control of my diabetes through the years (with a few months’ exception in college). I eat healthy, exercise regularly, and have absolutely no complications (knock on wood!) thus far.
I recently underwent my third IVF attempt in 12 months, and was so excited to find out that it actually worked! Maybe worked too well — triplets! My hemoglobin A1c (tested last week at six weeks gestation) was 7.4 — not as good as you all would like, but not too bad either.
Please be honest — What are my chances of carrying this pregnancy and delivering healthy babies? I’m scheduled to see my high risk OB [obstetrician] next week, but am trying to be prepared for the worst.
Answer:
If your diabetes is under good control and you maintain that during the pregnancy, then your main problem will be the risks associated with triplets. In multiple gestations, the most frequent complication is preterm delivery. Given your situation, you be seeing a high risk OB for your entire pregnancy. I think that your chances of a successful pregnancy are good.
OWJ
