One in every 33 babies is born with a birth defect in the United States, and diabetes is one of the major risk factors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) women diagnosed with diabetes before they become pregnant are three to four times more likely to have a child with one or even multiple birth defects than a mother who does not have diabetes.
January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month, a good time to focus on raising awareness about the frequency with which birth defects occur in the United States and on the steps that can be taken to prevent diabetes-related birth defects.
There are three main types of diabetes:
Type 1: The pancreas makes little or no insulin – a hormone in the body to help get glucose (sugar) into the cells of the body – so the body can’t use blood sugar for energy.
Type 2: The body either makes too little insulin, or the insulin the body makes is unable to help cells use blood sugar for energy.
Gestational: This is a type of diabetes that is similar to type 2, but it is first seen or diagnosed when a woman is pregnant.
Research shows that pregnant women diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes before pregnancy are more likely than a mother with no diabetes or a mother with gestational diabetes to…
…have a child with various types of individual or multiple birth defects. This includes heart defects, defects of the brain and spine, oral clefts, defects of the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract and limb deficiencies.
Birth defects associated with diabetes are more likely to occur during the first trimester of pregnancy and before a diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made. Obesity, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, is also a risk factor for birth defects. Therefore, women with pre-pregnancy diabetes and obesity should have preconception care to prevent birth defects and reduce the risk for health complications.
PREVENTION
Not all birth defects can be prevented. However, there are steps women with type1 or type 2 diabetes can take to increase the chances of having a baby born without birth defects.
Monitor your blood sugar often. Poor control of diabetes during pregnancy increases the chances for birth defects
Plan your pregnancy, if possible.
Work to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight before pregnancy.
Be physically active 150 minutes per week (10 minutes at a time is fine, such as a brisk walk).
Talk with your doctor about whether your current medications will be appropriate if you become pregnant.
Control and treat low blood sugar right away (e.g., eating a glucose tablet or candy or drinking juice or regular soda).
Limit excess weight gain during pregnancy.
Follow up with your doctor regularly.
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