Preparing for Pregnancy with Type 1 Diabetes
Whether your pregnancy is planned or a surprise, prioritizing your health will benefit both you and your baby.
Pre-Conception
There are a few simple steps you can take while planning for pregnancy with type 1 diabetes to ensure you are as healthy as possible:
- Meet with a high-risk OB-GYN before trying to conceive
- Maintain an A1c at or below 6.5%
- Get a thorough dilated diabetes eye exam before pregnancy because pregnancy can affect existing eye complications
- Have your kidney function tested with urine sample collection and a blood draw
- Explore taking prenatal vitamins and supplements with your healthcare team
- Discuss all medications you’re taking with your healthcare team to determine their safety during pregnancy
Healthy Habits
Creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can benefit the health of you and your baby throughout your pregnancy. As you prepare for pregnancy, consider working with a registered dietitian and diabetes educator to help you manage your lifestyle habits.
Nutrition
Your diet doesn’t have to be perfect, but the more you can focus on getting plenty of whole foods, the more you’ll provide your growing baby with vital nutrients during pregnancy.
Managing a healthy weight is also an important part of fertility, conception, and pregnancy. Being overweight during pregnancy can also increase your risk of complications like preeclampsia and make it more difficult to manage blood-glucose levels due to insulin resistance.
Alcohol and smoking can have severe detrimental effects on the health of your baby. Get the support you need to avoid drinking and smoking during pregnancy.
Exercise
Staying active is good for every part of your health! It’s good for your heart, your weight, your insulin sensitivity, and your mental health. Exercising every single day, even with daily walks, along with eating plenty of whole foods will have a big impact on you and your baby’s health throughout your pregnancy.
Mental Health
Taking care of your mental health during pregnancy is just as important as managing your blood-glucose levels and taking your insulin. Discuss any anxiety or stress you’re feeling with your healthcare team, and don’t hesitate to lean on those around you for support.
Using T1D Technology During Pregnancy
Technologies like continuous glucose monitors (CGM) and automated insulin delivery systems can give you more real-time information about your blood-glucose levels and patterns, help keep you in a tighter range, and reduce the risk of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.
Will I Pass T1D on to My Baby?
It is natural for people with type 1 diabetes to worry about the possibility of passing the condition on to their children. Fortunately, genetic risk factors do not play a big role in a person’s risk of developing T1D.
About 90% of people who are diagnosed have no family history of T1D. But your child’s risk of developing T1D is about 15 times greater because they have a relative with the condition.
Your child’s risk of inheriting type 1 diabetes can also be impacted by additional factors like:
- Gender
- Race/ethnicity
- Where you live (the disease is more common in countries further from the equator)
- How old you were when you developed T1D
- The presence of diabetes-related autoantibodies in your body
- Whether one or both parents have the disease
- Your age when the baby is born (if you are a woman)
- Having certain immune system disorders in addition to T1D
| Chance your child will inherit type 1 diabetes | |
|---|---|
| If you give birth before age 25 | 1 in 25 |
| If you give birth after age 25 | 1 in 100 |
| If you are a man | 1 in 17 |
| If both partners have type 1 diabetes | 1 in 10 – 1 in 14 |
| If you developed diabetes before age 11 | Your child’s risk is doubled |
Breakthrough T1D is funding ongoing research to understand exactly how genes and environmental factors interact to determine a person’s risk of developing T1D.
Pregnancy Support for T1D Moms
Connect with others who have gone through pregnancy with type 1 diabetes in the Breakthrough T1D Community Forum.
Building Your Care Team
Your healthcare team is a critical part of your pregnancy journey—ideally starting well before you conceive.
Many women choose to work with a team that includes an endocrinologist, a primary care doctor, and a high-risk OB-GYN with experience supporting pregnancies with type 1 diabetes. While “high-risk” pregnancy may sound scary, these providers come with specialized experience in supporting women with conditions like T1D and are best equipped to support you.
If/when you do become pregnant, you will be communicating with your doctor nearly every week to fine-tune your insulin doses and monitor your pregnancy. Make sure you have a team you trust and feel very comfortable with—you’ll be spending a lot of time together!
More Pregnancy Guidance
Learn more about how insulin needs may change, the importance of nutrition and exercise, and the benefits of developing a birth plan with your diabetes team.
Learn what to expect and ways to support your pregnant partner along the way so you can feel more confident and focus on enjoying this exciting journey together.
Learn what to expect during a vaginal birth or a C-section and get guidance on managing T1D in the hospital after childbirth.
Learn more about the challenges of sleep deprivation, postpartum depression, and your body’s unique needs as you recover.
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