Does diabetes really cause inertility?

[Cinnabon]

I was wondering about this and I wanted to ask everyone because "we are trying to have a baby. I have had diabetes for 24 years and I have had a daughter. What would be the most recommended test/bloodwork to see how my ovulation is doing?

[Keezheekoni]

Your FSH that you got done the other day is usually enough. You could also get your lutenizing (sp?) hormone checked as well. I've never had a problem with getting pregnant...though I do have a non-D related "sticky blood" problem that causes miscarriage.

I would say to just make sure that your bgs are stable and not swinging too wildly in order to conceive. If you want to be sure that you're TTC at the right time of the month, you might want to start doing basal temperatures every morning. There's a book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility that explains your entire cycle really well. Lots of us Catholic women use this method for birth control as well as for pregnancy planning. The only gotcha is that you have to take your temps at the exact same time every day. I hate that part. I like to sleep in if I can. :)

Good luck! I'd love to have another baby or two around here!

[Cinnabon]

"You could also get your lutenizing (sp?) hormone checked as well".

My Lut is 5.2
My BS is in check as well.
How can I know the range of temps. I am using a ertility calc. that gives me an idea on the best days, of course we go before, during and after... lol. I dont know how accurate these calculators are. Have any better sites?

[kgm0612]

Cinnabon.........have you consulted with your OB/GYN or a fertility specialist? There are also several home ovulation kits on the market that you may want to look into.

Good luck! My thoughts & prayers are with you.

Karen

[Cinnabon]

Yes, she asked for all that wonderul Bwork, lol.
I wish I knew how to read it off my results how fertile I am.

[Keezheekoni]

I have to run out of the house for a lab appointment up in Seattle, but I wanted to let you know that I'll answer the question about doing basal testing when I get back home in a few hours... I'm a font of knowledge when it comes to tracking your temps. :) Prepare for a long post...

[caswellhb]

If all your hormones are in line then your body is telling you it is ready. Go forth and do the necessary!
Have a wonderful pregnancy.

Heather.

[lmurphy]

Thats what my docs tell me. I am not producing eggs so I will not get prego. Has to do with the weight also.

[SashaMichelson]

Thanks for sharing this valuable information.

[birdyland]

My docs wanted my A1c 6.2 or less for trying to conceive.... that is the point where risk levels pretty much disappear as far as sugar levels go.

For ovulation earlypregnancytests.com has cheap ovulation predictor pee sticks. You may also want to look into a clear blue easy fertility monitor. Good luck!

[CerpinTaxt]

Has anyone on here actually had a child and a successful pregnancy? This is definitely a touchy subject for me, as I live only to have a family of my own one day and my blood sugars are unfortunately NOT controlled. It's a tough balancing act I'm still trying to perfect after ten years =(

[KCP]

I think you'll find there are alot of people who have childrena dn successful pregnancies :)
Granted you do need to have controlled your diabetes befroe doctors will advise that its ok for you to concieve <assuming your female!> but other then that there is no reason why you cant have children.

[Erin]

I once bought a small microscope that you use to examine your saliva. Apparently saliva looks different when you're ovulating. I was using it to AVOID getting pregnant... but it's actually designed to help people like you. It was only about $20 over the counter at the pharmacy. You might try that to help you identify the best days to try. Good luck!

[siamesegrin]

Apparently it doesn't. I just found out I'm pregnant, and I'm a T2. My sugars were well-controlled and I was exercising every day, and losing weight. I thought I wasn't ovulating. The pee-sticks I used for (non-effective, I've learned) birth control told me I wasn't ovulating. I'm about 2 months along, now on insulin, and struggling to control the sugars. I'm beside myself half the time, crying b/c my fastings have been 125-130. Before, I was 95-110 at most, fasting. The insulin makes me ridiculously HUNGRY ALL THE TIME, and I've no energy to work out like I used to. Anyways, the answer is probably no. My current condition is proof of that.

[KCP]

THats strange. You should be using the insulin to control the sugar not the other way around.. Pregnancy can cause your blood sugars to do all sorts of weird things.. It was one of the first things i was advised when i told my specialist that i wished to become pregnant.. Hang in there Siamesegrin, you'll be ok!!!

[Keezheekoni]

Hi, Cinnabon.. Yes, diabetes can cause infertility. Rising levels of diabetes may lead to a surge in male infertility, according to scientists who have discovered that men with the condition are more likely to have damaged sperm cells.

The warning follows tests on diabetic men that revealed a 60% increase in fragmented DNA in their sperm compared with samples from healthy men.

Maybe if you read more, you would see that *she* doesn't produce sperm...duh!