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Home  Family Health Pregnancy for Diabetics Requires Careful Planning
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Pregnancy for Diabetics Requires Careful Planning |
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Wednesday, 31 May 2006 |
For women with diabetes, an unplanned pregnancy is a particular concern. They face twice the risk of having a child with a birth defect if the baby is conceived before optimal blood sugar control is achieved. However, if the blood sugar is well controlled, there’s a much better chance of a successful, problem-free pregnancy and delivery.
Oddly, women with diabetes are less than half as likely to receive counseling on birth control from their healthcare professionals. According to the medical journal Obstetrics & Gynecology’s May 2006 issue, a study done by Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz of the University of Pittsburgh and her colleagues analyzed data on more than 40,000 physician visits by women, 14 to 44 of age, from 1997 to 2000.
They found that, overall, only 4% of the physician visits by diabetic women included counseling on contraceptives. In fact, women with diabetes were 58% less likely to talk about birth control during their doctor visits than non-diabetic women.
Dr. Schwarz suggests that all diabetic women of reproductive age schedule an
annual visit with their primary care physician or gynecologist to discuss family planning for their health as well as their children’s.
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