Glucose levels before getting pregnancy?

[Ayda]

I have recently stared fertility testing and my fasting glucose level was 96. My doctor said it needs to be below 90. All the information I have read said that anything below 110 is normal . I am now on a diabetic diet for gestational diabetes.  Why is it important to be 90 or below before getting pregnant? Could this cause infertility? Since I've been on the diet my fasting glucose ranges from 91 to 97. My reading before and after dinner are within the reccomended limits for gestational diabetes. Why is my fasting level so high? I even cheated with a fast food hamburger once and the next moring my fasting glusose was 94. It dosen't seem to matter if my dinner (1 hour later) levels are below 120 or 120-160. Can you please explain this to me.

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Hello again, Ayda,

I talked with a pal of mine who's had successful pregnancies while being diabetic. Perhaps some of her comments will be helpful for you, too. Neither one of us is a medical doc, so please do work out your course of action with a doc or team who specializes in diabetic pregnancies.

When she was having babies, doctors also wanted before-pregnancy fasting sugars low to give her a low base to start off with. However, it was much more important to keep the after-pregnancy glucose levels low. Her doctors wanted between meal glucose readings never to go above about 130.

For a gestational diabetic, this could mean having to reduce carbohydrate intake, for without any kind of blood-sugar lowering medication, carbohydrate intake is the only thing you can actually control.

A typical "diabetic diet" is built on a system that uses a fairly high percentage of carbohydrates. For a gestational diabetic, it may be a matter of only eating half the hamburger bun or perhaps not eating the hamburger bun at all at night. Perhaps this kind of approach will lower fasting sugars lower some.

It does seem that the numbers you posted are close to the physician's goal that and maybe no changes are really needed.

On a person note, my pal added this comment,

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Again, I'll need to do more research since I'm not a medical doctor but I do have a long history with diabetes.  Most women with diabetes are classified as high risk pregnancies and should be followed by a team of specialists who understand the risks (to mom AND child) and can help the mom manage their blood sugars superbly well before conception and during those crucial 9 months.

It is crucially important for your baby that s/he develop in as normal a fetal environment as is humanly possible.  Miscarriages and deformities can result from hostile fetal environments.  

Since no parent would knowingly choose to cause harm to their child before or after birth, it's important that to carefully manage our bloodsugars ... with extraordinary care that one may well relax once the child is safely alive outside the womb.

In any event, I'll ask for help on this one, so please do check back.