Pregnant diabetics at higher risk for birth defects

Women with diabetes (type 1 and 2, and gestational) at the time of pregnancy have a 2-5 fold increased risk of having a baby with defects due to the impact of high blood glucose levels on lowering the provision of oxygen to the fetus in the early stages of development. A study on the effect of high blood glucose readings that used mice as a model, found that there was less oxygen made available to their embryos resulting in a high percentage of birth defects. The organs mainly affected are the heart and spine, including the spinal cord, as these are among the first tissues to be produced in pregnancies. Therefore rigorous control of blood glucose must be attained and maintained before a woman becomes pregnant to avoid birth defects, and women, particularly overweight and obese women, need to be screened for this metabolic disease as a component of a pre-pregnancy planning program. Research into this field is continuing.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by News wise

Related Disease Topics:

• Diabetes
• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes
• Gestational diabetes
• Overweight
• Obese
• Birth defects
• Metabolic disease
• Pregnancy

Article Source Details

About: Pregnant diabetics at higher risk for birth defects

Date: 4 October 2005

Source: News wise

URL: http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/515068/

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Cause of birth defects
• Cause of spina bifida
• Cause of neural tube defects
• Cause of cerebral palsy
• Cause of heart defects
• Cause of congenital heart defects
• Risk and gestational diabetes
• Risk and pregnancy
• Risk and diabetes
• Risk and type 1 diabetes
• Risk and type 2 diabetes
• Risk and gestational diabetes
• Risk and overweight
• Risk and obese
• Birth defects
• Risk and metabolic disease
• Risk and spina bifida
• Risk and neural tube defects
• Risk and cerebral palsy
• Risk and heart defects
• Risk and congenital heart defects
• Risk and hypoxia
• Risk and uncontrolled diabetes
• Risk and blood sugar
• Risk and pregnancy planning
• Risk and family planning
• Risk and blood glucose
• Research
• Research and gestational diabetes
• Research and pregnancy
• Research and diabetes
• Research and type 1 diabetes
• Research and type 2 diabetes
• Research and gestational diabetes
• Research and overweight
• Research and obese
• Research and birth defects
• Research and metabolic disease
• Research and spina bifida
• Research and neural tube defects
• Research and cerebral palsy
• Research and heart defects
• Research and congenital heart defects
• Research and hypoxia
• Research and free radicals

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