Diabetic Moms Linked to Birth Defects

Mothers who have diabetes before they are pregnant are three to four times more likely to have a child with birth defects, the AP reports. A CDC study investigating birth abnormalities found more than 40 types of defects affecting the internal organs and spine that were significantly more common in children of diabetic mothers.

The research also shows that mothers with diabetes are more likely to have a child with multiple birth defects—about 5% of children with multiple abnormalities were born to mothers with the condition. But mothers who experience temporary “gestational diabetes” with pregnancy did not have increased birth defects. (More diabetes stories.)