Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Diabetic Moms Linked to Birth Defects

40 types of abnormality more common in mothers with disease

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 30, 2008 2:07 PM CDT

(Newser) – Mothers who have diabetes before they are pregnant are three to four times more likely to have a child with birth defects, the AP reports. A CDC study investigating birth abnormalities found more than 40 types of defects affecting the internal organs and spine that were significantly more common in children of diabetic mothers.

The research also shows that mothers with diabetes are more likely to have a child with multiple birth defects—about 5% of children with multiple abnormalities were born to mothers with the condition. But mothers who experience temporary “gestational diabetes” with pregnancy did not have increased birth defects.

A pregnant woman. (Shutterstock)

Scientists have found clusters of new gene variants that raise the risk of Type 2 diabetes. (AP Photo)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Pregnant Women in 50s Do Just Fine

In-vitro pregnancies of older women show no rise in complications

(NEWSER) - Women in their 50s who receive donated eggs have just as healthy pregnancies as their younger counterparts who do the same, a new study shows. In the largest analysis to date, researchers found that 101 women age 50 and older who used in-vitro fertilization had no more complications than women under 42 who used IVF, reports LiveScience . More»

US Home Births Up 29%

They're still rare, but number is rising

(NEWSER) - MSNBC's Vitals blog takes note of a trend in US births over the last decade: more are taking place at home. It cites a new government report showing that home births jumped 29% from 2004 to 2009, mostly among white women. They're still pretty rare, though, accounting for one in 90 births in that group, or 1.1%. Overall, home births accounted for only .7% (or 29,650) of the births in 2009. Even so, the rise is "surprising," writes Rita Rubin. More»

Woman Passes Driver's Test— During Labor

First trip is to the hospital

(NEWSER) - Contractions 10 minutes apart didn’t stop a woman in Scotland from getting her driver’s license—and then speeding off to the hospital to give birth. She’d woken that morning at 4am after her water broke, but ignored her family’s advice and went through with the test anyway. “I had waited so long for my driving test, I was determined to do it,” says Emma French, 20. More»

Spina Bifida Breakthrough: Surgery Before Birth

Treatment in womb for birth defect more effective, study finds

(NEWSER) - Surgery on babies still in the womb has long largely been restricted to those who would die otherwise, but a landmark study is likely to lead to a surge of research into fetal surgery to treat birth defects. Surgeons found that repairing spina bifida—a debilitating spinal condition that 1,500 babies are born with annually—in the womb helps avoid the brain damage and paralysis that often result when the condition isn't treated until after birth, NPR reports. More»

New Hope for Pregnant Diabetics

Artificial pancreas could save lives of mothers, improve babies' health

(NEWSER) - An artificial pancreas can dramatically reduce the risks of pregnancy for women with Type 1 diabetes, British researchers say. Self-management of insulin levels can be very difficult because physiological and hormonal changes make the safe range for blood sugar levels much narrower—in fact, pregnant diabetics' levels fall outside what is recommended about 10 hours each day. The researchers fitted 10 women with a device that monitored their blood sugar levels and fed that information to a computer that controlled an insulin pump, the BBC reports. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Diabetic Moms Linked to Birth Defects

40 types of abnormality more common in mothers with disease

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

pregnancy • diabetes • birth • blood sugar • fetal health • birth defect

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Pregnant Women in 50s Do Just Fine

In-vitro pregnancies of older women show no rise in complications

US Home Births Up 29%

They're still rare, but number is rising

Woman Passes Driver's Test— During Labor

First trip is to the hospital

Spina Bifida Breakthrough: Surgery Before Birth

Treatment in womb for birth defect more effective, study finds

New Hope for Pregnant Diabetics

Artificial pancreas could save lives of mothers, improve babies' health

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Diabetic Moms Linked to Birth Defects

40 types of abnormality more common in mothers with disease

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

pregnancy • diabetes • birth • blood sugar • fetal health • birth defect

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Pregnant Women in 50s Do Just Fine

In-vitro pregnancies of older women show no rise in complications

US Home Births Up 29%

They're still rare, but number is rising

Woman Passes Driver's Test— During Labor

First trip is to the hospital

Spina Bifida Breakthrough: Surgery Before Birth

Treatment in womb for birth defect more effective, study finds

New Hope for Pregnant Diabetics

Artificial pancreas could save lives of mothers, improve babies' health

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?