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Women with diabetes are completely able to give birth to healthy babies, but it takes planning ahead and effort. The only way to protect yourself and your baby is by controlling your blood glucose before and during your pregnancy.
Pregnancy can make both high and low blood glucose levels changes to happen more often. It can make diabetic eye disease and diabetic kidney disease (also called diabetic nephropathy), which can lead to kidney failure. High glucose levels during pregnancy are very dangerous for the baby, too. There's a lot you can do to take charge and prevent kidney problems.
So, in order to become pregnant you need to take extra care beforehand and continue doing it throughout your pregnancy. On the other hand, if you don't want to become pregnant, talk with your health care provider about birth control.
Protecting Your Baby and Yourself
A great way to protect you and your baby is keeping your glucose levels near normal before and during pregnancy. That's why we importantly advise to plan your pregnancies ahead of time.
If you want to have a baby, discuss it with your health care provider. Work with your diabetes care team to get and keep your blood glucose in the normal or near-normal range before you become pregnant. Your blood glucose records and your A1C test results will show when you have maintained a safe range for a period of time and help you and your health care team to know when your glucose range is safe to conceive.
You may need to make a few changes on your meal plan and your usual physical activity, and you may need to take more frequent insulin shots. Testing your glucose several times a day will help you see how well you're balancing things. One good thing to do is recording the test results in your logbook or on a log sheet.
Get a complete check of your eyes and kidneys before you try to become pregnant. Don't smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs-doing these things can harm you and specially your baby.
All women who are willing to conceive should get folic acid (400 micrograms) every day. An easy way to be sure you're getting enough folic acid is to take a vitamin supplement with folic acid in it. Also think about breast feeding your baby. Breast feeding has many benefits for both of you.
Having Diabetes During Pregnancy
There are some cases when women have diabetes only when they're pregnant. This condition, which is called gestational diabetes, can be controlled just like other kinds of diabetes. Glucose control is the key. Your health care team can help you take charge of gestational diabetes. If you learn you have diabetes while already pregnant, work closely with your health care team to stay healthy.
Controlling Diabetes for Women's Health
Some women with diabetes may have special problems, such as bladder infections. If you have an infection, it needs to be treated right away. Call your doctor immediately.
Getting Pap smears and mammograms are important to every woman's health. It's common to some women get yeast infections in their vagina, especially when their blood glucose is high. A sign of a yeast infection may be itching and redness in the vagina. If you notice one or both signs, call your health care provider, who can tell you about medicines you can buy at the drugstore and about how to prevent these infections.
Another common problem women with diabetes may have is trouble with sexual function. Some discomforts are caused by vaginal itching or dryness, and it can be treated. Ask your doctor how often you should get a Pap smear and a mammogram (breast X-ray). Regular Pap smears and mammograms help detect cervical and breast cancer in early stages. In fact, all women - whether or not diabetic - need to have these tests regularly.
Testing Your Kidneys
A recent study shows that controlling your blood glucose can prevent or delay the onset of kidney disease. Keeping your blood pressure under control is also important.
The kidneys keep the right amount of water in the body and help filter out harmful wastes. These wastes, called urea, then pass from the body in the urine. Diabetes can cause kidney disease by damaging the parts of the kidneys that filter out wastes. When the kidneys fail, a person has to have his or her blood filtered through a machine (a treatment called dialysis) several times a week or has to get a kidney transplant.
Work with your health care provider to prevent or treat kidney problems. Your health care provider can learn how well your kidneys are working by testing for microalbumin (a protein) in the urine. Microalbumin in the urine is an early sign of diabetic kidney disease.
You should have your urine checked for microalbumin every year. Your health care provider can also do a yearly blood test to measure your kidney function. If the tests show microalbumin in the urine or if your kidney function isn't normal, you'll need to be checked more often. Remember to write down the dates and the results of these tests. Ask your health care provider to explain what the results mean.
Protecting Your Kidneys
The best way to protect your Kidneys is Keeping Your Blood Glucose Under Control. High blood glucose can damage your kidneys as time goes by. Work with your health care team to keep your glucose levels as close to normal as you can.
Keep Your Blood Pressure Under Control
High blood pressure (or hypertension) can damage your kidneys. You may want to check your blood pressure at home to be sure it stays lower than 130/80. Have your health care provider check your blood pressure at least 4 times a year. Your doctor may have you take a blood pressure pill, called an ACE inhibitor, to help protect your kidneys.
Controlling your blood glucose levels and your blood pressure may help to prevent or delay kidney failure. Choose Healthy Foods! You may want to talk to your health care team about cutting back on foods that are high in proteins (such as meat, milk, and cheese). A diet high in proteins can cause more damage to your kidneys over time. Eating less salt is also a good idea.
Preventing and Treating Infections
Bladder and kidney infections can damage your kidneys. Call your health care provider right away if you have any of these signs of bladder infection:
- Cloudy or bloody urine.
- Pain or burning when you urinate.
- An urgent need to urinate often.
Call your health care provider right away if you have any of these signs of kidney infections:
- Back pain.
- Chills.
- Fever.
- Ketones in the urine.
Your health care provider will test your urine. If you have a bladder or kidney infection, you'll be given medicine to stop the infection. After you take all the medicine, have your urine checked again to be sure the infection is gone.
Know the Effects of Some Medicines and X-Ray Dyes
If you have kidney disease, ask your health care provider about the possible effects that some medicines and X-ray dyes can have on your kidneys.
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