Pregestational diabetes occurs when you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes before becoming pregnant. Pregestational diabetes has nine classes that depend on your age at diagnosis and certain complications of the disease.The class of diabetes that you have tells your doctor about the severity of your condition. For example, your diabetes is class C if you developed it between the ages of 10 and 19. Your diabetes is also class C if you’ve had the disease for 10 to 19 years and you have no vascular complications.Having diabetes when you’re pregnant increases some risks for both you and your baby. If you have diabetes, your pregnancy will need extra monitoring.

The symptoms of diabetes include:

• excessive thirst and hunger
• frequent urination
• changes in weight
• extreme fatigue

Pregnancy can also cause symptoms such as frequent urination and fatigue. It’s important to monitor your glucose levels closely to help you and your doctor determine the reason for these symptoms.

Symptoms will have a lot to do with how well-controlled your diabetes is and how your pregnancy is progressing.

• Causes and risk factors for diabetes
• The pancreas produces insulin. Insulin helps your body:
• use glucose and other nutrients from food
• store fat
• build up protein

If your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or uses it inefficiently, then your blood glucose levels will be higher than normal and affect how your body functions.

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes occurs when your pancreas is unable to produce insulin. It can happen when your immune system mistakenly attacks your pancreas. It can also happen for unknown reasons. Researchers aren’t sure why people develop type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1 diabetes. It begins with insulin resistance. If you have insulin resistance, then your body doesn’t use insulin properly or it no longer produces enough insulin.

Being overweight or having a family history of the disease increases your risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Having a poor diet and being physically inactive may also increase your risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Some women only develop diabetes during pregnancy. This is called gestational diabetes. Doctors screen most pregnant women for diabetes as part of their prenatal care. Classes of pregestational diabetes

The following are classes of pregestational diabetes:

The onset of class A diabetes may occur at any age. You can control this class of diabetes by diet alone.

Class B diabetes occurs if you developed diabetes after age 20, have had diabetes for less than 10 years, and you have no vascular complications.

Class C diabetes occurs if you developed it between the ages of 10 and 19. Diabetes is also class C if you’ve had the disease for 10 to 19 years and you have no vascular complications.

Class D diabetes occurs if you develop diabetes before age 10, have had diabetes for more than 20 years, and you have vascular complications.

Class F diabetes occurs with nephropathy, a kidney disease.

Class R diabetes occurs with retinopathy, an eye disease.

Class RF occurs in people who have both nephropathy and retinopathy.

Class T diabetes occurs in a woman who’s had a kidney transplant.

Class H diabetes occurs with coronary artery disease (CAD) or another heart disease.

Classes of gestational diabetes:

If you didn’t have diabetes until you became pregnant, you have gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes has two classes. You can control class A1 diabetes through your diet. If you have class A2 diabetes, you need insulin or oral medications to control it. Gestational diabetes is usually temporary, but it increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Authors can Submit manuscript online to the Editorial Office at https://www.imedpub.com/submissions/womens-health-reproductive-medicine.html 

John Kimberly

Editorial Manager

Journal of Womens Health and Reproductive Medicine