Pregnancy demands more insulin in the body than normal because of the increased production of hormones that can lead to insulin resistance. For women with diabetes, excellent blood glucose control before conception and then throughout pregnancy is vital to the health of the baby and the mother.
The rate of major congenital malformations in babies born to women with preexisting diabetes varies from 0-5% among women who receive preconception care to 10% among women who do not receive preconception care.
Macrosomia, large birth weight, occurs 2 to 3 times more often in diabetic pregnancies as in the general population. Because of the increased risk of fetal macrosomia, women with diabetes are 3 to 4 times more likely to have a cesarean section.
Women with diabetes are up to 5 times as likely to develop toxemia (a disorder of unknown cause usually marked by hypertension, protein in the urine, edema, headache, and visual disturbances) and hydramnios (excessive amounts of amniotic fluid) as women without diabetes.
Women who have given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Approximately 2 to 5% of all non-diabetic pregnant women develop gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes that occurs only during pregnancy.
Approximately 40% of women with gestational diabetes who are obese before pregnancy develop type 2 diabetes within 4 years. The chance of developing diabetes during this same period is lower if the women are less overweight.
