I was eighteen years old when i was identified as having type 1 diabetes; one minute I was a freshman in college, and the next I was lying in a hospital bed with my life spinning off its axis. While learning how you can give myself injections, which I would need to do throughout my life, and hearing I might go blind, I was also told I possibly could never have children.
That was thirty-seven in years past. That edict, "You can't have children," is no longer true. Thanks to today's knowledge and technologies, women with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can indeed have children. However, a woman's diabetes needs to be in good control before and throughout her pregnancy, to safeguard her health and the healthiness of her baby.
The key to a healthy pregnancy is good blood sugar control and pre-pregnancy planning. Experts recommend that a woman work with her obstetrician and an endocrinologist 3 to 6 months prior to conception so that her blood sugar levels, blood pressure level, cholesterol levels, and heart and vascular health are such that it's safe for her being pregnant.
Safeguarding your health and that of your baby before pregnancy
A fetus's heart, brain, nervous system, and other organs begin forming throughout the first five weeks of pregnancy, usually before a female even knows she's pregnant. This initial phase of being pregnant poses risks, including birth defects and spontaneous abortion, says Dr. Lois JovanoviO, MD, professor of drugs and chief scientific officer in the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute.
That is why it's important to be in a healthy body before you conceive. If your woman is already in control of her blood sugar during the time of conception, birth defects are much less likely to happen. If you are considering becoming pregnant, make sure the next vitals are in working order:
Weight - Attempt to reach a healthy weight before conceiving. Women who are overweight are at increased risk for gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, cesarean deliveries, and anesthetic and postoperative complications.
Eyes - Pregnancy can irritate diabetic eye disease (retinopathy). Have an exam by having an ophthalmologist who's a specialist in retinopathy.
Heart - Heart disease affects women with diabetes at much higher rates and puts you at risk for pregnancy-related complications such as strokes and heart disease. The recommendations for heart disease screening include
Blood pressure - High blood pressure (BP) significantly contributes to a pregnancy's risks, and so do your BP measured at every visit. If your blood pressure level is greater than 130/80 mmHg, and that reading is confirmed by a second test on the separate day, your blood pressure should be treated during pregnancy with medication to help you accomplish a BP of 110-129 mmHg over 65-79 mmHg.
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