As some of you may have seen on previous posts, my husband and I are hoping to get pregnant sometime this summer. As such, I met with a new OB for a consult and my yearly exam to ask questions about a diabetic pregnancy, etc. I had seen someone in a different group my whole adult life but that group will not deliver at the hospital I would like ot deliver at, so the person I saw earlier in the week is in a totally new practice. Anyway, I had a terrible experience and left in tears. The doc I saw at this new OB facility was so negative and I felt like I was too "high-risk" for her to even be willing to work with me. She referred me to a Maternal/Fetal Med Specialist...which I was hoping for prior to the appt...and will be getting in to see that person soon.
For all of you out there who are or have been pregnant or are also in my boat (hoping to conceive soon), how many of you had an a1c under 6.0 BEFORE getting pregnant? My Endo recommends under 7.0. What have the docs you have seen recommended? Obviously, I am sure the close to "normal" the better.
Looking forward to hearing from you! Thanks for you help in advance and for listening!
I'm in your boat - hoping to be pregnant in the future. The high-risk OB-GYN I saw last month told me she'd ideally like to see me with an A1C between 6 and 7. I wonder if it varies by doctor, and what research/studies they trust. She also recommended I switch to pre-natal vitamins (vs. regular multi-vitamins) soon, and start taking extra folic acid. That was about it, though!
I am pregnant with my first child and when conceiving my A1c was at 7.2. Now I am at 21 weeks and the lowest I have gotten my A1c down to was 6.7. My endo said that for every person there is a number that fits them, for me being in the mid 6's is perfect, not too low all the time and not really high either.
Even after being a diabetic for 16 years I have never had any diabetes related complications so that may be another factor as to why my doctor is a bit lenient about the numbers.
Last week I went for my complete scan to check the baby for bone/spine growth and heart growth and there were not any issues there. As far as I know those are the top two issues that a baby can have when it's mother's diabetes is not in control enough when growing - other than large birth weight.
Good luck on your future pregnancy and I hope that you can find a better doctor to treat you.
Thank you so much for your support and input. I greatly appreciate it! I scheduled 2 appointments with 2 different maternal fetal med specialists so I will see one in May and the other in June. I suppose it never hurts to get 2 opinions and see who is out there so I am prepared when it does come time to get pregnant. Best of luck to all of you as well! :)
I was told that your A1c should be as close to 6.0 as possible when you are trying to conceive. Mine was 6.3 when I got pregnant. It went down to 6.1 initially and then 5.1 and my most recent one was 5.4 (avg 108) - I was having a ton of low blood sugars in the beginning...I am currently 35 weeks pregnant with my first child and so far everything is going well. Do you have a CGM? If so, this will help tremendously.
You are right...the closer to "normal" your A1c is, the better...better for you and the better for the baby.