Pregnancy not recommended?

[CarrieScott]

I just got back from an appt with my Dr. She had a long discussion with my husband and I about pregnancy and about my current condition.

I got my A1C down to 7, which she says is an improvement, but she wants to see me at a 5.5. I had mentioned to her briefly that my husband and I had been considering having a child in the next few years. She responded with a lot of concern. She told me that she strongly recommends that I research other options (adoption, no children, contributing my time to other things). She said that my T1 is very stressful on the body as is pregnancy. She told me that the two combind are extremely dangerous. It is possible for me to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, but having the baby would certainly take years off of my life and could cause renal failure requiring dialysis. My husband was not very happy to hear this. He doesn't like the idea of me risking my body in any way.

I see so many people affected by Diabetes on this site and elsewhere having healthy babies and I am overwhelmed with emotions. I respect my Doctor and her medical advice, but I wonder if she is being too careful?

Is there anyone who has any advice or could share personal experiences when dealing with T1 and pregnancy?

[Jeff]

If you want to have a baby, have a baby. It sounds to me like your doctor is trying to talk you out of it rather than providing you with ways to make it possible.

The general guidelines are:

1. Get into excellent control before you get pregnant. Definitely shoot for an A1c in the high 5s or very low 6s. If insulin alone isn't enough, look at adding Symlin. (Symlin during pregnancy is unstudied.)

2. Be prepared for very frequent glucose monitoring and insulin adjustments. 15 checks a day is common, as is the use of a continuous sensor.

3. You're already on a pump, so frequent tweaking of insulin will be easier.

4. Find a new doctor who is very experienced in working with women with type 1 who are having a baby. The expert is:

Lois Javonovich, MD
Samsun Institute for Medical Research Foundation
2219 Batn Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805) 682-7638

If you can see Lois, do it. If not, see if she can offer a recommendation for someone near you.

Pregnancy and type 1 diabetes is much more common now, and women do have successful pregnancies with healthy babies with no adverse impact on their diabetes or other health.

Again, don't be dissuaded if you want to have a baby. Just be prepared for a level of diabetes care intensity that you may not have experienced before. But know that the payoff is worth it -- a healthy baby.

[CarrieScott]

Jeff, thank you so much for the information.

[momof2D]

I am the mom of three boys, 2 diabetics. My older sister is also a type 1 diabetic. At some point she was told the same things. She switched to an insulin pump after being on injections for 20 years. 3 years later at the age of 38 she had her first kid. At 39 she had another. Her pregnancies were better than mine and my other non-d sister. Her kids are happy, healthy, and perfectly fine. So is she. In fact, she is better than ever because she finally has something that was so important to her. What changed? She found a doctor who understood that a diabetic could successfully carry a child without complications. She ate well, watched her sugars and had 0 complications. Best of luck. I am not saying your docs are wrong, but like anything, see what else is out there before making such a huge decision.:)

[Ali]

I had two successful full term pregnancies as a type one. I had regular deliverey-no c-section. No complications for me or kids. I did this while on shots. I believe three shots a day total. This was 22 and 20 years ago and my control was nowhere near the fives. I was probably in the eights (A1C) when given the OK. While pregnant my control actually go better (sevens and high sixes) not because of more checking or shots but because of the hormonal impact on my BS. The pump would make being pregnant much easier than it was for me on shots. The kidney concern is real but typically for those with kidney disease already. If you already have kidney complications then the management will be more complicated. Many, many high risk women have babies but you need to work with someone with some real experience with diabetes and pregnancy. My kids are healthy. I did adopt my third child for personal reasons and not because my Dr. said no. Good luck.
I did not go on the pump till 30 years after diagnosis (age 16) and long past my kids. Ali

[StillTypeI]

I realize this is going to be a unpopular question, but why would you want to have kids and risk them having Type I?
Why create yet another generation with the disease or potential for the disease?
This never made sense to me.

[MLH]

I realize this is going to be a unpopular question, but why would you want to have kids and risk them having Type I?
Why create yet another generation with the disease or potential for the disease?
This never made sense to me.

I understand where you are coming from, however, we have NO D in our families and I have a child with type 1. You can't live your life worried about "what ifs", because you will never do anything. There are lots of things that can go wrong in life. Thankfully, type 1 has a treatment.:cwds:

Having a child puts your heart on the outside of your body. There is no protection. I wouldn't change it for anything!

[Nancy in VA]

I realize this is going to be a unpopular question, but why would you want to have kids and risk them having Type I?
Why create yet another generation with the disease or potential for the disease?
This never made sense to me.

I hope no one ever says this to my daughter. She is only 2 but trust me, I have already had thoughts about her pregnancies as an adult. I can hope for a cure by the time she is an adult but for now, I know I can count on a controlled situation that is carefully watched.

You don't know what life is going to deal you with your children. Families with no history of Type I have more than one child with T1 in their families. Families with young children who are diagnosed and die of leukemia have other children with no history of cancer in their family.

Many, many women have had successful pregnancies while diabetic and I don't believe that diabetic parents not having children will prevent diabetes.

[kiwikid]

Hi Carrie :cwds:
have you ever visited www.realitycheck.org.au.
It is a place for young adults with diabetes (worldwide) and there are threads from posters who have recently had babies - some after several years of Diabetes. There's also some great resources.

http://www.realitycheck.org.au/babies.htm

http://realitycheck.org.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5444&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

http://realitycheck.org.au/our_stories.htm#Vanessa

http://realitycheck.org.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5547&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

Good luck :)

[Erin]

I have been a Type 1 since 1993 and pumping since 1998. My endo recomends an A1C of less than 7.0 before getting pregnant and taking 5mg of Folic Acid about 3 months before getting pregnant. I have had 2 miscarriages (not diabetes related) and I just found out that I am pregnant again. Hopefully this one will work. It's a ton of work to keep everything in check. Morning BS of 4-6, 2 hrs after a meal of less than 6.7 and 1 hour after a meal of less than 7.8. The endo that I was seeing before switched me over to an endo that only deals with pregnancy & diabetes. GOOD LUCK

[yeswe'rebothD]

I realize this is going to be a unpopular question, but why would you want to have kids and risk them having Type I?
Why create yet another generation with the disease or potential for the disease?
This never made sense to me.

Statistics tell us that children of a parent with diabetes (type 1) has about a 2-5% chance of developing diabetes. If you follow that out, in order for that to be fulfilled in its entirety, most couples in which one had diabetes would have to have between 20 and 50 children before ONE was guaranteed to develop it.

[LJS118]

A friend of mine, who is type 1, had two healthy babies. It was a lot of extra monitoring but they all came through it without one difficulty. good luck

[livacreature]

I worry about complications during pregnancy, but hope to be getting a continuous glucose meter soon (YAY) and will aim to get my a1c to the 6s for a couple years before trying (getting married in May, want to want a couple years to have kids, but feel the need to plan ahead). I'm nervous about the possibilities, but I think that with good control and a good doctor, I should be okay. I want children, I know I will be a good mom. My hubby and I also want to adopt. We see so much value in both experiences, we want both. :)
As for not having children because they might be diabetic, honestly, the way I see it being a diabetic now days isn't THAT bad, and the risk isn't that high of them being diabetic anyway. My family has a very strong genetic history of t1 (I have cousins on both sides), so should no one in my family have children? This doesn't make sense. There are complications, there is a shortened life span, but it is getting better all the time. As soon as I get my continuous meter (YAY) I will have the other half of my external pancreas and will be one happy lady!

[lilwitte]

When it comes to having children you never know what is entailed for them as they get older, but you love them just as much as you love any other child.

With respect to a child getting diabetes, my friends mother has diabetes and they have three biological children and two adopted children, out of the five children one of the adopted children developed diabetes, not one of her biological children. You never know what is going to happen, but you are ready for it when it comes.

~Liz

[clb1968]

I have 2 wonderful children, one I had before I became diabetic and another that I had after being diabetic 10 years, she is almost 7 years old now.
I was on MDI then and tested alot. She is happy and healthy.

[BennysMom]

I realize this is going to be a unpopular question, but why would you want to have kids and risk them having Type I?
Why create yet another generation with the disease or potential for the disease?
This never made sense to me.

The risk of the parent of a diabetic having a diabetic child is actually very low, I don't remember the exact percentages, but I think it was somewhere between 1 and 3%. The chances of anyone in the general population getting anything (or something worse) are also there. Does that stop the whole world from having kids?

[BennysMom]

Hi,

Maybe you should find a new doctor. Well it is recommended to have an a1c of at least under 6 for a few months before conceiving, lots of people have gotten pregnant with a1cs higher than that and their babies have been perfectly fine. To be honest, my a1cs when I got pregnant with my son and this baby (I'm currently 3 months pregnant) where higher than they should have been. But I got them down very quickly and so far so good. My son was perfectly health and normal, no problems, and the pregnancy was pretty smooth for me (the delivery was a little rough but that wasn't related to the diabetes). Lots of t1 diabetic women have had healthy babies, especially if they take care of themselves. Yes there are risks, especially for those who don't control their disease while pregnant, but that hasn't stopped most of us!

[twotypes]

My wife is T1 and about to give birth (2weeks) to our child. This will be her third child (12yo has T1 & 8yo fine) and so far all looks good. Her HbA1C was 10.5 :eek: (2months ago) and her endo was very pessimistic. Our obstetrician was the total opposite. He was very pleased with how bubs is progressing as wife and baby appear in very good health.
So many theories on how diabetes is 'contracted'. Still, there is nothing conclusive. Chances of passing the gene is possible but can skip a generation and sometimes lay dormant?!. Many people I have talked with whom have contracted T1 from childhood to teens say it happened after a serious illness or severe trauma they were exposed to.
One thing I am very sure of is that stress is definitely more dangerous to anyone in any health so why should diabetes 'prevent' you from having a child?

[Momof4gr8kids]

I realize this is going to be a unpopular question, but why would you want to have kids and risk them having Type I?
Why create yet another generation with the disease or potential for the disease?
This never made sense to me.

If people didn't have children because there was a family history of diabetes, cancer, mental retardation, mental illness, or the many other things that can go wrong, how many people do you think would have children?

Around 80% of people with type 1 diabetes have NO family history. In order to have a child with type 1 diabetes there are 2 genes that have to be melded. One parent can carry both or both parents can carry one part a piece. Even then it is a crap shoot. Less then 25% of people with the gene and at least one of the 4 antibodies get type 1 diabetes.
So if no one with type 1 reproduced there would still be plenty of people with type 1 dx'd.

It sounds like you have some personal issues you need to work out by your attitude. I hope you seek the professional help you need to deal with your illness.

[twotypes]

Well, bubs was born at 37 weeks via c-section and all went very well.
2 weeks on and both mum and baby doing exceptionally good with no complications. Birth weight was 5 pound 9 ounces with baby steadily gaining by the day. We were prepared for a difficult birth but there were no hiccups as baby went straight on to breast feed and we also fed breast milk from the bottle to allow flexibility for mum during feeds. We are also expressing milk as supply is good.
Baby's BGL's are stable and at an optimum level around 4.0 to 4.2 mmol. Initially, levels can drop with newborns of diabetics but this is sorted within 2 to three days after birth.
If mums BGL's are well maintained during pregnancy, baby's insulin production should be quite normal. Levels dropping in infants can be due to the glucose supply being cut off at birth and the baby's over production of insulin.
All in all, considering many things that 'could' have gone wrong, I think when I look at my son, it was definitely worth it!!!

[Sugarless]

This all sounds too familiar. I have had diabetes since I was 7 yrs old (I am now 37). I took shots for 23 yrs and have been on the pump for 7. I was always told that I would not be able to have children ~ in fact I was talked into have my tubes tied at age 26. I have had an angioplasty and diabetic retinopathy with many years of high blood sugar levels.

When I got on the pump things changed dramatically. My A1c was down to 5.8 and I haven't had a problem with my diabetes since I was 18 years old.

Good news ~ I now have a 4 yr old daughter. I had to do in-vitro since my tubes were tied. My pregnancy couldn't have went better. No problems what so ever. The best thing that I ever did.

If you want to have children ~ do it!! Plan ahead. Get involved with your endo and OB and do all the necessary things that need to be done in order to have a healthy pregnancy.

Good luck!:)

[rare]

I'm going to be the voice of dissent and with good reason. I'm not saying what I'm about to say to scare anyone or be pessimistic - I just want it to be understood why doctors sometimes recommend against pregnancy.

Growing up I had an aunt, who was not a blood related aunt, but still an aunt to me in every sense of the word that people call each other family. She had been a T1 since she was dx'd at 18. Back then there was no taking insulin with meals, so she did her 2 injections daily and was on a very strict diet which she never cheated on. She took amazing care of herself.

She got married sometime in her 20's and wanted so badly to have a child even though her doctor told her it was a very bad idea. He suggested adoption or anything else besides conceiving naturally. She did not listen and suffered many miscarriages. She finally managed to carry a baby past the first trimester and ended spending her second trimester in the hospital. She only made it to the 28th week before her son was born prematurely. I forget how tiny he was - I want to say like 1lb or something. He's now a very tall, happy, healthy, teenager.

After he was born her health faded quickly. Her kidneys failed and she was put on dialysis. She was placed on a waiting list for a new kidney and pancreas. I think she ended up waiting 3 years. By that time she was very sick and could hardly do anything for herself, let alone take care of her then 4 year old son. She went in for her transplant and the surgery went well. However, she only lasted about 7 days beyond that before her body was too tired to keep fighting. She went into cardiac arrest and a coma. She was on life support for about 2 days before her husband decided to pull the plug. She lived to the ripe old age of 34. Her son grew up without a mother.

[yeswe'rebothD]

Rare, while that is an unfortunate case, I would ask that each diabetic woman make her own decision. I have heard of so many times that someone who takes good care of their D, only to suffer many complications in relatively little time. Then there are the many who don't do a thing to control their D and still live long lives with little ill health to show for it. Control is key, yes I agree completely, BUT not everyone will suffer the same consequences as your aunt did.

Are you going to tell me that I should actually be dead, since I have had D longer than your aunt did, and have had two full-term pregnancies? I have very few complications at this point, and those I have are very mild for the level of control I've been able to acheive over my 17 years since my diagnosis.

Your aunt's experience, yes, is tragic, but it is NOT what every woman with diabetes is doomed to if she decides to bear children.

[Ali]

I also had two full term healthy pregnancies-natural deliveries everything great. But yes, you do need to get everything checked out ahead of time. I am all in favor of adoption, we adopted our third child but I have type one friends who are healthy and strong after four and five natural born kids. All having lived with the disease since childhood. Just get the Ok from your Endo. Ali

[6miraclez]

I was told not to have kids the whole time I was growing up. I've had diabetes for 30yrs, pumping for 18yrs, just got on the CGMS. I have 6 kids now.

If you want to have children, then do it. Just make sure you get the proper medical care. I saw a perinatologist (Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor) with all of my pregnancies. All of my kids are healthy and have no health problems related to me having diabetes when I had them. I do have 1 child who was diagnosed with diabetes at 6yrs old but then again, no one in my family had diabetes and there is me and 2 of my brothers who now have it. Go figure.

Knowledge is the key. Don't let this disease control you. Control it instead.

[melanie46721]

My father found out he was type 1 when he was 24 years old. I am greatful that he wanted children and did not think about not wanting to pass it on to his children. I found out I was type 1 when I was 21, five years ago. I think it was easier to accept the disease having a parent who also had it. It didn't bother me at all. I was used to eatting a strick diet because of him, and when he was ill, I would even give him his shots as a child. My parents always checked our sugar just to see. I plan on having children in about 2 years. If my child happens to have diabetes, i hope they see things the same way that I saw them. My doctor says having children if fine but I need to keep my a1c down for at least a year,which is at 8.2 right now, before conceiving.

[iamslh]

I have had diabetes for 17 years, and I am pregnant with my third. My a1c at conception was 7.4. I have hypoglycemic unawareness and gastroparesis so although my doctor normally wants a1c's under 7 before pregnancy, she told me to go ahead and try because where my blood sugars are at are okay for the problems I have with maintaining them. I work very hard for a 7.4, especially since I can't bolus until after meals and I can't feel lows! AACCK!

I have a CGMS system, so I can always see where my blood sugar is around. That helps. I test often. Both of my children were 4 weeks early. Sandis was healthy at birth, and Gracie had some breathing issues that resolved after five days. There is no reason to believe the breathing issues were related at all to my diabetes but rather to her being born early.

Each person is different. I recommend that if your doctor is firm against you having a baby, perhaps get a second opinion?