You are in > manchester.com  > News > Pregnant diabetic women urged to heed health advice

Health

Pregnant diabetic women urged to heed health advice

28/02/2008

Diabetic women planning to have children must ensure they receive advice on how to maintain their health and that of the unborn baby, researchers have warned.

Their comments follow two studies showing that women with diabetes are seven times more likely to have a stillborn baby and have a five-fold increased risk of a baby with congenital malformations than other women.

The research is to be presented at Diabetes UK's annual professional conference in Glasgow next week.

The first study looked at 130 pregnancies in Leicester of women with type one diabetes between 1999 and 2006.

Just under four per cent resulted in stillbirth, compared to 0.55 per cent in the pregnancy outcomes of other women.

The study also found that caesarean sections (58 per cent) and congenital malformations in the babies (5.4 per cent) were more than double the norm (23 per cent and two per cent).

The second study of 218 pregnancies of women with diabetes shows that women with type two diabetes have a five-fold increased risk of having a baby with congenital malformations and are more than twice as likely to miscarry compared to women with type one diabetes.

Diabetes UK chief executive Douglas Smallwood said the charity is "alarmed by these findings".

"Many of the risks these women and their babies face are avoidable if they receive the appropriate preconception care and are supported to achieve good blood glucose control during their pregnancy," he added.

"Sadly it appears we are making little progress in tackling the problem. It is unacceptable that women and their babies are exposed to these dangers unnecessarily."

The charity advises that all diabetic women are provided with preconception care and counselling and are encouraged to take appropriate doses of folic acid to reduce the risk of defects.