Fertility of women with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Fertility of women suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and outcomes of pregnancy in them were analyzed on the basis of case histories of 279 women aged over 25 administered traditional nonintensified insulin therapy. No appreciable differences in the fertility of these women in comparison with that in the general population were revealed. The possibility of conception is increased if IDDM manifests after menarche and maturation of the sexual function. Fertility was the lowest in diabetic women in whom the disease manifested before the age of 10 years. Induced abortions were the most frequent outcomes of pregnancy in diabetic women. The incidence of spontaneous abortions in diabetic women was virtually the same as in the population at large. The incidence of stillbirths is evidently increased in comparison with that in the general population.