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Conception

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Original poster

Any Type 1 Diabetics out there also TTC....?

88 replies

confusedforever · 08/03/2011 20:22

Hello, I am diabetic this type and am on the first month of TTC. I have good blood sugar control etc but, and this is also apparently due to my age, been told that being diabetic can be a bit of a hindrance. Is there anyone else out there in the same boat? (I know there are lots of type 2's or people with gestational diabetes but not so many type one's) If there is, I'd like to hear how you are all going about things while having a fairly normal / relaxed life at the same time...

OP posts:
Oblomov · 08/03/2011 20:42

didn't want your post to go unresponded. No more conceiving for me , for sure !! but wish you all the luck.
know that thread Tigger has just conceived twins, so wished her all the luck the other day.
and to you to Smile

Original poster
confusedforever · 08/03/2011 20:45

Thank you! Will check out other thread now. Know being a Type 1 is not the end of the world but it does seem to add a different and more complicated dimension (and I don't normally think of being diabetic as any big deal at all!)

OP posts:
Oblomov · 08/03/2011 21:06

Agreed. Been diabetic since 1 and it never hindered me. most people at uni didn't even know I was a type 1. objective achieved. but I found diabetes puts pregnancy in a totally different league. and since, traipsing up to london with ds1 when pg with ds2 I found hard. And have found it hard since.
People who are not type 1 probbaly couldn't comprehend this. But as you say, not life threatening Wink. in perspective, this is of course do-able. just a bit trickier.
are you being supported by your team in trying to conceive ?
are you feeling good about it all ?

Original poster
confusedforever · 08/03/2011 21:16

Am feeling fine about the whole thing but do also feel as this is a reminder that I have "a chronic illness." Normally there is no issue but if we are TTC it is not just about me. My blood sugar reading has been 7.0 at the utmost highest, I have no other issues etc etc but still...
Why have you found it hard since...? How did you also find early parenthood?

OP posts:
Glamimel · 09/03/2011 11:15

Hello Confused.

I am a type one diabetic, have been since 15 (now 26).

I had a son in 2007 (unplanned) and had to work hard at getting my sugars under control whilst pregnant as i didnt really take good care of my self before. My son was born a healthy weight but did have low blood sugars along with jaundice and a chest infection (he had to spend 5 days in neonatal).

After having my son my bloods went a bit funny again as i concentrated more on looking after him then i did myself. I am now trying to get them under strict control.

I am now trying to have my second and struggling to conceive. I have hypothyroidism and havent had a period since december after finishing Implanon in July 2010 and then Cerazette beginning of December 2010.

Are you currently under supervision with the people you see for your diabetes?

Ilovekittyelise · 09/03/2011 11:47

Hi

I'm type one and conceived first month of trying three times. Have always maintained excellent control of diabetes, I think it's when your A1C is higher that it can cause issues with reproductive health.

During pregnancy don't do anything YOU don't want to do. If you are in good control of your condition, able to respond to your changing insulin needs, and have no signs of any issues, then don't be pushed into excessive and un-necessary 'diabetic' appointments; I have found that the NHS caters to the lowest common denominator of intellect and awareness of one's condition and unless you are upfront about how you want your pregnancy to be you will be dragged in for pointless appointments every two weeks with consultants firing alarmist information at your other half.

Glamimel · 09/03/2011 13:10

I must admit sometimes I have to traipse all the way up to the hospital just for them to tell me what I already know or to continue with what im doing. Sometimes they do give me information that i never knew and find quite useful.
I think if i would have had better control from the start instead of going through my teenage rebellion stage then I would have had the same outlook as Ilove but unfortunately i myself have not had the same control and i am now trying to get it under strict control. My HBA1C is currently 7.5 which is not too far off the 7.0 they like you to have before trying to conceive.

HedgeSparrow · 09/03/2011 15:47

Hi confused! I am a type 1 diabetic and am also trying to conceive baby no. 1. Trying unsuccessfully so far (month 10) but obviously that's not diabetic related.

I've been going to a pre-conception clinic once every 2-3 months for an A1C and the staff are lovely, but I feel like I'm letting them as well as myself down by not being pg yet! Silly I know. At least my blood sugars are fab Grin. Are you taking prescription strength folic acid? That is important for diabetics ttc.

Oblomov · 09/03/2011 17:48

Agree with kitty. Getting up at 6 am , to get train to waterloo, bus to kings, then waiting for clinic and then scan, to be told nothing I didn't already know, every 2 weeks. Getting home late afternoon, almost a 12 hr day, Was one of the main issues that made my whole pg much more difficult. If you need it/ want to go, then fine, but don't feel obliged.

Ilovekittyelise · 09/03/2011 18:20

oblomov mine have been quite good this time around and finally get that i do what needs to be done and they dont need to faff about asking me for blood sugar records (god that was painful going through all that malarkey).

i go every month or so, to be honest i would prefer just to drop off a urine sample, do a blood test and have them tell me the results and only go in if something looks funny (ie like my kidneys are turning on me!).

in the appointments i used to always say stuff like 'i noticed my digestion is slower and in the evenings my blood sugar is relatively low after a meal' (by this i meant that i wasnt spiking not that there was an issue); next thing i get a copy of a long rambling letter sent to my GP talking about how im having problems with hypos after meals....this time im very careful what i say, ie its always along the lines of 'everythings just perfect thankyou and good-day'! LOL....

anyone else's husband get the ridiculous scaremongering 'keep a glucagon pen with you in case she haas a fit talk'....FFS Grin

tonythetyger · 10/03/2011 11:37

Hi I'm the former tigger and have conceived 3 times (no. 2 ended in miscarriage), have a ds of 4 and am hopefully expecting twins! I've been type 1 since 3 so that's coming on for nearly 28 years of experience and was 26 when I had ds.

The first time they ever talked to me about the difficulties of pregnancy if you're type 1 was a hospital appointment when I was 16. My mother was horrified that they'd brought the subject up at all but I found it quite interesting. Grin

Before conceiving ds I investigated a couple of the hospitals which ran diabetic/pregnancy clinics and asked them questions on ideal hba1c when they require the baby to appear by and other things which I can't remember. I plumped for the one I was under already which had an ideal hba1c of 7 or below. I don't know how long you've had diabetes but a key thing for me was not to have the hospital interfere too much in my control and they type of insulin I use. Providing you keep within their control boundaries they don't.

There's a thread that I'll find in a minute of type 1s comparing experiences of different hospitals.

Yes it's more of a pain being diabetic than not but at the end of the day it is largely a manageable condition nowadays and you can and hopefully will end up with a healthy baby.

I found control in pg quite easy but post childbirth very difficult particularly with bfeeding. Happy to answer any questions you have.

tonythetyger · 10/03/2011 11:53

And if anyone offers you a continuous glucose monitor make sure to inspect it before agreeing..... I have one in and it's **ing enormous and uncomfortable. Quite difficult to manage discretely which is my usual aim!

HedgeSparrow · 10/03/2011 14:01

Did it take any of you a while to conceive? I haven't heard that diabetes can have an impact on conception but I may be wrong!

tonythetyger · 10/03/2011 15:19

2nd time for ds, 1st time for mc, 22nd time for this one. I think that was due to the mc and the after effects - not diabetes.

Glamimel · 10/03/2011 15:25

1st child was unplanned. This time around have currently been tring for 3 months. But believe it may be because of birth control still leaving my system, not my diabetes.

tonythetyger · 10/03/2011 15:37

hedgesparrow my consultant referred me to fertility testing after 11 months of trying (he found out that he could have referred me at 6 months). I wouldn't recommend it unless you've really tried the normal way properly as it's unpleasant, intrusive and stressful. Have you used CB digital ovulation tests? I believe they were the reason I finally succeeded again as my cycle seemed to jump all over the place for a long time after the mc.

HedgeSparrow · 10/03/2011 16:44

Thanks for the answers folks. My diabetic team have mentioned that it takes a lot of people a while and haven't mentioned any possible diabetic reasons so I think I'll just have to be patient. I haven't been using digital tests but maybe I should. Every month my cycle is like clockwork (EWCM days 10-14, period on day 29) so not sure how it is not happening yet! I'm only 30 so not keen on invasive tests for a while yet...

tonythetyger · 10/03/2011 16:58

If you haven't conceived by a year then they start getting a bit more concerned as I think it's 80-90% are meant to conceive in the first year or trying. The reason I got referred earlier was I was getting really stressed by the keeping sugars in tight control and fear that the mc or d&c had done some damage.

The digital tests are much better than the cheapy or normal ones. I'd really recommend them. The smiley face is pretty invigorating too. Smile

HedgeSparrow · 10/03/2011 17:24

Thanks Tony. Did your tests show anything or did you conceive naturally in the end? Don;t worry if you'd rather not say (and sorry to hear of your mc).

tonythetyger · 10/03/2011 17:33

They all showed everything working. Then I spent 3 months thinking about it and decided to see someone privately to see if I could get clomid as I was convinced I was ovulating at the wrong time of the month. I'd been testing through that time using opk as a contraception device. Once I fixed the appt according to the tests I stopped ovulating. So on the 3rd month I tried a cb digital instead of amazon cheapies got a date of cd15 instead of 12 which is where I thought I was and conceived naturally. And then at the early scan to confirm I hadn't miscarried she asked if it was spontaneous or on treatment and when I replied said "ah because there's 2 of them"....

HedgeSparrow · 10/03/2011 17:46

Wow! Twins! That's fab, I think I am definitely going to invest in a cb digital now Grin

Original poster
confusedforever · 10/03/2011 22:48

Hi all, OP here. Am away for a few days so reading and responding on my phone. Lots of stuff to read through properly and its fab hearing from type 1ks who have experienced it all. Am back on Saturday so will be able to write properly then (my experiences so far have been quite different)
Cheers!
Cx

OP posts:
tonythetyger · 11/03/2011 13:44

Just to add - my hospital only want to see me once a month until about 28 weeks after which it steps up to 2 weeks and then 1. They said if the twins are on separate placentas there won't be much difference in the times I have to see them. I don't mind monthly appointments as it gives a chance to check my hba1c and make sure everything is on track. Fortnightly in the early stages would drive me up the wall.

Glamimel · 11/03/2011 14:01

Congratulations on the twins Tony. :)

I'm currently being seen once a month at my pre conception clinic but i do recall my diabetes nurse saying that when/if i do become pregnant they would want to see me more.

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