Type 1 diabetes mellitus and pregnancy

As a result of the advances in glucose monitoring and insulin administration, there has been a dramatic improvement in the outcomes of pregnancy in diabetic women over the past decades. Pregnancy in type 1 diabetic women is associated with an increase in risk both to the fetus and to the mother. The normalization of blood glucose in order to prevent congenital anomalies and spontaneous abortions is considered a priority. As the pregnancy progress, the mother is at an increased risk for hypoglycemia or diabetic ketoacidosis. Later in the pregnancy, she is at risk of accelerated retinopathy, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia-eclampsia, urinary tract infection, and polyhydramnios. At the end of pregnancy, there is also an increased risk of macrosomia and sudden death of the fetus in uterus. All of these complications can be prevented or, at least, minimized with careful planning of the pregnancy and intensive tight glucose control.