Type 1 diabetes and pregnancy

Type 1 diabetes is a disease caused by an abnormal activity of the immune system (immune system), which it considers foreign insulin-secreting beta cells. The body of a person with type 1 diabetes begins to produce antibodies against its own insulin-producing cells and destroy them. The pancreas of a person with type 1 diabetes does not produce insulin, so it is necessary to administer it externally. Insulin is administered by subcutaneous injection, with injection pens specially prepared for this purpose, or by means of an insulin pump. 

Type 1 diabetes is unfortunately a disease that can't undo. If you have already been diagnosed with it, it remains for you to accept that it will accompany you for the rest of your life and accept this state of affairs. It is possible to live "normally" with type 1 diabetes, also by following the recommendations of a diabetologist. Type 1 diabetes should not limit you in any way. Your apparently less "sweet" life with diabetes doesn't have to be that way.

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a disease that can occur in both adults, as well as in children. However, it most often develops during adolescence in adolescents. If you already know what is type 1 diabetesyou also need to know which ones are the first symptoms of diabetesto be able to recognize it early. Type 1 diabetes often develops rapidly and can even be life-threatening if not diagnosed early. 

Type 1 diabetes symptoms start when the body is running low on insulin. Common symptoms of type 1 diabetes to remember include:

Zincreased thirst and frequent urination

If you suddenly notice that you drink more and it is not related to the change of weather (hot weather), you have constant dry mouth and you often wake up to the toilet at night, this could be one of the first symptoms of newly developing type 1 diabetes.

Losing weight despite good appetite

When, in addition to thirst and frequent urination, you suddenly notice that you are losing kilograms, despite the fact that you have not changed anything in your diet and have not started training, you should be vigilant. The unnecessary kilograms suddenly, miraculously without any effort, never begin to fall down by themselves. It can also be a symptom of another developing condition, but unfortunately, it is also one of the many underlying symptoms of type 1 diabetes.

Unreasonable fatigue, drowsiness and weakness

If, despite the fact that you do not overwork and sleep, you are constantly feeling tired.  Additionally, you are constantly drinking and running to the toilet, you may develop type 1 diabetes. If you suddenly have naps during the day that have never happened before, it may also be a symptom of diabetes mellitus in combination with the other symptoms mentioned. type 1.

In addition, the symptoms of diabetes may also include:

• unpleasant, sweet breath of acetone from the mouth, reminiscent of rotten apples;
• cramps in the legs;
• weakening of visual acuity;
• abdominal pain;
• nausea, vomiting.

Can type 1 diabetes go back? 

Unfortunately, type 1 diabetes is a disease that cannot go back. Scientists around the world are constantly trying to develop innovative therapies for type 1 diabetes, which include, among others transplant of insulin-producing cells, bionic pancreas and artificial pancreas (a three-dimensional model of the pancreas obtained thanks to 3D printing technology).

Until recently (1950 to 1990), injections used glass syringes that had to be boiled beforehand, and blood sugar levels could only be measured in a medical laboratory. Currently, you can see your blood sugar level on the screen of your phone or in the insulin pump, if you have one.

However, despite the development of medicine, nowadays, you are left to "act as your pancreas" and administer insulin as prescribed by your doctor. It is true that there are even insulin pumps that in some way "replace" your pancreas, but they still do not release you from the obligation to monitor your health. The pancreas plays an important role in human life, which is why it is so important that you fulfill your role as best as possible. Keep in mind that if even now type 1 diabetes is not curable and cannot go back, you may live to see this change.

When will type 1 diabetes be curable?

The question of when type 1 diabetes will be curable is ambiguous. At the current stage of research, we are not able to determine whether they will be successful, which will result in the possibility of a cure for diabetes. However, we do not lose hope. New research is being carried out all the time and the existing ones are being improved, so it may turn out to be in the near future type 1 diabetes will be curable.

Type 1 diabetes remission or recovery? 

If you've recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, but:

•  you have the feeling that you have suddenly healed. The disease ceases to make itself felt;
• sugar levels are normal;
• suddenly you don't need insulin ...

Does this mean a miracle happened and you have recovered? 

Type 1 diabetes and pregnancy

Although living with diabetes should not limit us in any way, these are the situations and moments in life that diabetics fear the most. One of these special moments, but also full of anxiety, especially for a woman with type 1 diabetes, is the time of family planning and pregnancy.

It should be emphasized that women with type 1 diabetes give birth to healthy children. It is largely up to you how you prepare for pregnancy and how you take care of yourself and your future baby during pregnancy. Despite your illness, you can enjoy life to the full as well as be a happy mum to a healthy baby.

Type 1 diabetes and proper preparation for pregnancy

Women with type 1 diabetes should prepare for pregnancy at least 6 months before becoming pregnant. Preparing for pregnancy does not mean searching online forums for information about preparing for pregnancy. An online forum is not a place for women planning a pregnancy with type 1 diabetes. If you are already looking for information on type 1 diabetes in pregnancy on the Internet, look for it from reliable sources.

When planning, it is very important to talk to your diabetologist and gynecologist about it. It is them that you ask questions about the topics that bother you, not on the forum. They will provide you with professional information on planning pregnancy with type 1 diabetes, in accordance with the current knowledge and guidelines.

Thanks to the appropriate preparation, a woman with type 1 diabetes can help herself and the expected child. Properly treated type 1 diabetes is not an obstacle to having children, but you must be aware of the consequences of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) for your and your baby's health. If you follow the medical recommendations and not the unproven guidelines from the online forum, nothing prevents you from being a happy mother enjoying a healthy baby.

You don't know where to go to be able to plan consciously pregnancies with type 1 diabetes?

There are many diabetes centers in Poland where you can benefit from the professional care of qualified doctors, nurses, diabetes educators and nutritionists. 

Are you afraid of changes?

Believe that the timing of pregnancy planning is the best time to take care of yourself and your diabetes. This is the moment when you are the most motivated and ready for changes for the sake of the child. Planning a pregnancy is the best time to learn how to use an insulin pump, get used to the device and "check" various life situations so that you can use it fully during your pregnancy.

The insulin pump is a device that is to help you plan a pregnancy with type 1 diabetes. Despite the initial fear of this device, most often it is difficult for patients after pregnancy to part with it.

What does planning mean pregnancy z type 1 diabetes?

The most important thing in planning pregnancy with type 1 diabetes is to balance it in the best possible way, i.e. achieve HbA1c <6,5%, without severe hypoglycaemia. It means nothing else like maintaining stable and low sugar levels:

• on an empty stomach and before meals between: 80-110 mg / dl;
• 2 hours after starting the meal: <140 mg / dl;
• in the night: > 70mg / dl.

Type 1 diabetes and pregnancy

You will ask a question, and what if I have type 1 diabetes and am already pregnant? If I did not plan my pregnancy with type 1 diabetes in mind, does it mean that everything is lost?

Of course not. Appropriate preparation for pregnancy with type 1 diabetes is very important and significantly reduces the risk of pregnancy complications in the mother and child. However, if you are already pregnant with type 1 diabetes, it does not mean that your baby is already in a lost position. Even though the risk of complications is greater, it is now up to you what will happen next. Remember that to protect your baby and yourself from complications resulting from hyperglycemia, you should, from the very beginning of pregnancy, keep your blood sugar within the same range as a pregnant woman without diabetes. It is really possible, all you need is a lot of motivation and effort. You can do it!

Remember to inform your gynecologist that you have type 1 diabetes. He or she will show you the facility that deals with patients with this disease. Pregnancy in women with type 1 diabetes should be carried out in specialized gynecological and obstetric centers.

Sugar norms in pregnancy with type 1 diabetes

What sugars should you have during pregnancy with type 1 diabetes? Your sugar should be within the ranges:

• on an empty stomach and before meals: 70-90 mg / dl;
• maximum sugar level 1 hour after starting the meal <140 mg / dl;
• between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. > 70-90 mg / dL.

Type 1 diabetes and childbirth

With type 1 diabetes, you can have a baby naturally. However, the gynecologist-obstetrician and diabetologist will decide whether there are indications for a cesarean section.

Pregnant women with type 1 diabetes treated with an insulin pump can maintain this form of treatment throughout labor. In some situations it is necessary to administer insulin by the intravenous route (intravenous infusion pump).

Complications in pregnancy with type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is not an obstacle to having children, but like any chronic disease, it increases the risk of pregnancy complications in the mother and all sorts of complications in the child. Women with type 1 diabetes during pregnancy may develop hypertension, urinary tract infections or polyhydramnios more often than healthy women. Pregnancy with type 1 diabetes may end in preterm labor or cesarean section. If you had retinopathies or diabetic nephropathy before pregnancy, pregnancy is a condition in which the symptoms of these diseases may get worse. Remember, the higher the sugars in pregnancy, the more common these complications are.

When a pregnant woman with type 1 diabetes does not take good care of her treatment and does not prepare for motherhood, the risk of various types of complications in the baby increases. The most serious consequence of incorrectly treated type 1 diabetes in pregnancy is an increase in the incidence of birth defects in children. The risk increases even 3-5 times in children of women suffering from diabetes during pregnancy.

So you need to be aware of the huge role you play just before and during pregnancy with type 1 diabetes. It is largely up to you whether pregnancy with type 1 diabetes will be safe for you and your baby and will end in a happy solution. Take care of you as best you can!