Pregnancy Program

Although the babies of women with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes have a slightly higher risk of birth defects, the vast majority are born perfectly healthy nowadays. It just takes extra attention. That means more frequent blood glucose monitoring, medication adjustments, and medical visits. Our Pregnancy Program can help you do this.

Start Before Conception

For women with diabetes, it is important to lay the groundwork for a safe pregnancy well before getting pregnant. The best chance for a healthy baby is if your blood glucose levels are as close to normal as possible before trying to conceive.

Women with type 2 diabetes who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should tell their healthcare provider so the right medication can be prescribed.

A Healthy Mother and Baby

The Pregnancy Program is a collaborative effort of Joslin Clinic’s medical staff and the high-risk maternal-fetal medicine specialists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Joslin’s healthcare team—which includes physicians, nurse educators, dietitians and other diabetes specialists—provides the diabetes treatment. Maternal-fetal medicine specialists from Beth Israel Deaconess, who are skilled in high-risk pregnancies, provide the obstetrical (pregnancy and childbirth) care.

Joslin's Pregnancy Program staff are happy to coordinate care with your own high-risk obstetrician, if this is preferred.

Sometimes diabetes is diagnosed during the course of a pregnancy. For a healthy baby, women with “gestational diabetes” need to learn to manage blood glucose, usually through diet and exercise. Sometimes insulin is required for the remainder of the pregnancy.

Blood glucose levels of women with gestational diabetes usually return to normal after delivery of the baby. Women who have had gestational diabetes are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, however, especially if they are overweight.