I’m new to the site and thought joining might help motivate me to take better care of myself. Regarding pregnancy, I’m curious if anyone’s Endo gave them a deadline for conceiving. 2 years ago, I was told I shouldn’t get pregnant after 40. Well here I am. 40. Life took some unexpected turns and I’m not yet a mother like I thought I would be by now. Aside from the usual risks due to age, if I’m healthy and can conceive, why not? Anyone been told this because of your T1?
Hi
I had my first child 1 month shy of 39 and my second at age 40. My endo never gave me a deadline however, I did have to see a high risk OB/GYN through both pregnancies given I am T!D. I was pretty healthy and without any significant risks other than retinopathy that was stable. I did however need to see my retinal specialist more often during my pregnancy.
I must say my body liked being pregnant given my insulin doses did not rise as all and my A1C’s were better than they ever were not pregnant (6.8). I did however exercise throughout both my pregnancies and found it very helpful, especially post pregnancy. Both my deliveries were C -Sections and I did have big babies - 9.9 and 9.8 lbs. each - which is common for diabetic women.
One last note is that it is challenging to raise kids and care for your disease at the same time. Remember to take the time you need to care for yourself.
Good luck!
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I just wanted to chime in. I’m also new here, but I am 40 years old, type 1, and 18.5 weeks pregnant with my first child. My OB/GYN has never given me a deadline, in fact he is very encouraged as I have been trying for over 3 years now. My prior OB/GYN gave me a deadline of 33 years old. Needless to say, I fired him. 
I am “still” 36 and trying to get pregnant for the first time in my life. I never received a “deadline” as such from an OB/GYN, but I have known for a long time that 35 seems to be the age when fertility-wise things decline precipitously. I could see myself not having a child, but not really being a single parent. I have two (non-diabetic) girlfriends close to my age who, after reading the medical literature, very deliberately started trying to conceive at 34 (and both had healthy babies earlier this year), but I only met the person who ended up becoming my husband two and a half years ago, so we’re starting TTC now, after we got married. My BG levels are good and my husband and I already had our pre-conception visit with the high-risk pregnancy specialist. I will be interested in communicating here (or via private messages), in particular with the women who wrote that they are still at TTC stage. (I am a little worried that this is negatively impacted by our age, not so much by our diabetes.) Also, I just read the only popular book on the subject I could find (Cheryl Alkon’s Balancing Pregnancy with Pre-existing Diabetes), which I recommend heartily, but I am interested in finding out about other similar resources.
Hey There I had my baby last September four weeks at age 40. And I was healthy the whole time as was baby girl. Lots of doctor appointments. We went through IVF for baby so my sugars were tightly controlled the whole time. Truth be told I just turned 41 and I’m gearing up for IVF again this fall for baby #2…
Hi ladies!
I’m 35 and have a 1.5 year old. I feel like I shouldn’t have another because of my age and because I’ve been diabetic for 34 years. Have any of you had D for that long?
Hi @jenpsu2 I haven’t heard anything about how long you’ve had diabetes being a factor for pregnancy, but maybe if you have complications? I am 41 now and gearing back up for my 2nd pregnancy (my OB and endo are totally on board!!) via IVF. I’ve had diabetes for 17 years, but no complications…
Hi
At the time of my second child I had had T1D for 37 yrs. My second pregnancy also resulted in a healthy happy birth at age 40.
I must cut to the chase however, I have thought on more than one occasion it would have been easier to manage my T1 with only one child. That might be a result of having children late but might also be that managing diabetes is like having another child to take care of 24/7.
In my humble opinion you need to have a solid marriage and equal partner in the mix for obvious reasons. Think about yourself and your diabetes first. Will you be a stay at home mom with them? Careful if you will also have a job/career at the same time!
Good luck with your decision.
Hey All! Find a JDRF YLC committee near you! It is the Young Leadership Committee and they are in most major US cities. I have been a part of the YLC in SF, San Jose and D.C. Let me know if I can connect you to one. They are awesome and hold various happy hours and fundraising events. All are welcome of all ages. Type one and friends of type ones. Many of our members have been pregnant or are currently.