The best way to reduce the risks to you and your baby is to ensure your diabetes is well controlled before you become pregnant. So, ideally, a pregnancy should be planned.
Before you start trying for a baby, ask your GP or diabetes specialist (diabetologist) for advice. You should be referred to a diabetic pre-conception clinic for support.
You should be offered a blood test, called an HbA1c test, every month. This measures the level of glucose in your blood.
It's best if the level is no more than 6.5% before you get pregnant. If you cannot get your level below 6.5%, try to get it as close as possible to reduce the risk of complications for you and your baby.
If your blood glucose level is above 10%, your care team should strongly advise you not to try for a baby until it has fallen.
You should continue using contraceptives until you get your blood glucose under control. A GP or diabetes specialist can advise you about how best to do this.
If you have type 1 diabetes, you should be given testing strips and a monitor to test your blood ketone levels, to check for diabetic ketoacidosis. You should use these if your blood glucose levels are high, or if you are being sick or have diarrhoea.