Diabetes is a serious disease in which your body cannot properly control the amount of sugar in your blood because it does not have enough insulin. Diabetes is the most common medical complication during pregnancy, representing 3.3% of all live births. No matter what type of diabetes you have, there are many steps you and your healthcare team can take in order to have a safe and healthy pregnancy.
There are two primary types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that requires daily use of insulin. Symptoms of Type 1 may include increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and extreme fatigue. Often diagnosed in childhood and in young adults, this type of diabetes accounts for about 5 to 10% of diagnosed cases in the United States. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for about 90-95% of diabetes cases in the United States. Symptoms of Type 2 include bladder or kidney infections that heal slowly, increased thirst and urination, constant hunger and fatigue. This form of diabetes is often associated with older age, obesity, family history, previous history of gestational diabetes, physical inactivity, and it can be more prevalent in certain ethnic groups.