Pregnancy poses additional risks for women with diabetes. The most recent CEMACH (Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health) report continues to show that babies of women with diabetes are five times as likely to be stillborn, three times as likely to die in their first months of life and twice as likely to have major congenital malformation (this last number maybe higher as it is not adjusted for the higher rate of terminations where congenital malformations are found). Although the majority of mothers with pre-existing diabetes have type 1 diabetes, the proportion of births to women with diabetes is rising due to the rising numbers of young women with Type 2 diabetes. Worryingly, some of the latter group are only diagnosed in pregnancy.

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