September 14, 2000
Family Planning
Question from Staten Island, New York, USA:
I am a 29 year old who developed gestational diabetes in my fourth month. Diet could not control my sugar, and I was put on insulin. By the end of my pregnancy, I was on four shots per day totaling 114 units of insulin. (My daughter was a fine 7 pounds 11 ounces}
Diabetes runs heavily in my family. I am now categorized as glucose intolerant. My numbers only seem to rise when I am ovulating or due for my period (anywhere from 180 to 300mg/dl [10 to 16.7 mmol/L] two hours after eating). We have been trying for a year and a half to have a second child. Is the fact that my sugar is so elevated making it harder for us to conceive? (My husband was tested and so was I, everything was normal). Please help, I am desperate to have another child.
Answer:
Blood glucose values of 180 to 300mg/dl [10 to 16.7 mmol/L] is more than glucose intolerance. You should have a more thorough evaluation for diabetes. Depending on the underlying cause of the hyperglycemia, this may be associated with failure to ovulate, and better glucose control may improve the frequency of ovulation. If you are ovulating regularly, then the hyperglycemia should not greatly affect fertility. However, persisting hyperglycemia can have potentially deleterious effects on the developing fetus. Therefore, I would not recommend trying for a pregnancy until you get your blood sugar under better control.
OWJ
