If you’re diabetic and pregnant, or are planning to have children in the future, it’s important that you know what consequences may arise in child development.

A study led by researchers at Newcastle University suggests that pregnant women with diabetes are have four times the risk to have a baby with a birth defect than women without the condition. The likelihood of this occurring is associated to the mother’s glucose level.

According to the study, as many at 1 in 13 births from women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes may result in a birth defect. The findings also showed that the level of glycemia at the time of conception was one of the most important factors in predicting congenital abnormalities.

The study consisted in the analysis of over 400 thousand pregnancies, including over 1.5 thousand pregnancies in women with diabetes. The results showed that diabetic women had a seven percent chance to have a baby with a birth defect, whereas healthy women had a significantly lower chance at only two percent.

Birth defects can be present in any part of the body and can have consequences such as cause heart disease and problems with the nervous system. Other consequences of birth defects are stillbirth, ongoing health problems and/or pregnancy loss.

This is yet another important reason for careful planned parenthood. Women can do something to manage high blood sugar and reduce the risk of birth defects in their offspring. Of course, this should be a change in the household, for it would benefit everyone.