More women diabetic before becoming moms

PASADENA, Calif., April 29 (UPI) -- Among U.S. women ages 20 to 39, the rate of diabetes before motherhood more than doubled from 1999 to 2005, a study said.

The study, published in Diabetes Care, also found pre-pregnancy diabetes has increased five-fold among 13- to 19-year-olds giving birth. Among women age 40 and up, diabetes has increased 40 percent. African-American, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander women were more likely to have diabetes before pregnancy than Caucasian women.

"My advice to women who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and are thinking about becoming pregnant is -- work with your healthcare professional to get your blood sugar in good control. If you are pre-diabetic or have type 2 diabetes and are overweight, work on reducing your weight by a few pounds before becoming pregnant," lead author Jean Lawrence, of Kaiser Permanente's department of research & evaluation in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement. "Women with gestational diabetes should have their blood sugar level tested after they've given birth to make sure it returns to normal."

The researchers looked at 175,249 women who gave birth in 11 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Southern California from 1999 to 2005.