Scared to have children!

[iliveinessex]

Hey! I’m 30 and type 1, thinking about starting to try for a baby next year. Does anyone actually know what the chances of having a baby who will also develop diabetes is? Google / TikTok / various forums all say different things. The answer will massively sway me as I wouldn’t want to have a child go through what me and so many other type 1s do.
Thanks so much

 

[becca59]

Hi @iliveinessex To be honest I don’t think they really know. I got Type 1 many years after my child was born and he’s in his 40s now and diabetes free. But consider this, neither of my parents had either type and ended up with two children out of three with type 1. One at 15 and the other at 54. My brother has four children. All ok.
Life is a bit of a lottery and I think it is sad that this disease is holding you back from one of the most wonderful life defining events.

 

[Tony337]

Hi
I am a male type 1 of 50 years and have a son now aged 24 who is not a diabetic.
My sister is a type 1 of 57 years and has a son aged 28 who is not a diabetic.
My other sister is not diabetic has 2 children neither of which has diabetes.

Having children is amazing and did it enter my head my son would develop it well yes it did.

I wish you well

Tony

 

[Ushthetaff]

Got diabetes when I was 17 I’m now 62 none of my immediate or past family had it, I have 4 children all above the age of 25 none of them have it , personally having children is one of the best things I’ve done in my life , I think it’s just a toss of a coin and I wouldn’t let it stop me having children ,

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Hi @iliveinessex I can understand your thinking, but when I consider all the people I have known/met in my 66 years, I realise most people are carrying some physical problem, whether it's visible or hidden. In any family there may be a minute chance of being born with an unexpected condition. I was a baby when I was diagnosed with Type 1, the first registered in my family tree. I have a 40 year-old daughter and a granddaughter who will be a teenager in 16 days time. Neither has diabetes. I have always felt that in spite of complications, to a large extent diabetes is one of the conditions tjhat the patient has control over for much of the time. When we consulted a diabetologist about the chances of a diabetic baby, we were told one in twelve. I know we made the right decision!

 

[EllieM]

As the T1 daughter of a T1 mother (who was diagnosed in her early 20s and had no family with T1) I am very glad that she didn't let her diabetes stop her from having children. (And I was born pre glucometer and T1 pregnancies were realtively risky then). The statisitics here suggest you have a 1 in 25 chance of having a child with diabetes?

Genetics of Diabetes | American Diabetes Association

Get valuable insights into the genetic factors behind diabetes and find answers to your questions. Explore more resources on diabetes genetics.

diabetes.org

If you are a man with type 1 diabetes, the odds of your child developing diabetes are 1 in 17. If you are a woman with type 1 diabetes and your child was born before you were 25, your child's risk is 1 in 25; if your child was born after you turned 25, your child's risk is 1 in 100.

Your child's risk is doubled if you developed diabetes before age 11. If both you and your partner have type 1 diabetes, the risk is between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4.

Having said that, ethnicity also makes a large difference.

I didn't hesitate to have children, both still not diabetic (29 and 32).

Modern treatments for T1 continue to improve, and they are still working on trying to prevent it. Who knows what the situation will be by the time any hypothetical children you might eventually have might possibly acquire it?

 

[Ladybird1]

Hey! I’m 30 and type 1, thinking about starting to try for a baby next year. Does anyone actually know what the chances of having a baby who will also develop diabetes is? Google / TikTok / various forums all say different things. The answer will massively sway me as I wouldn’t want to have a child go through what me and so many other type 1s do.
Thanks so much

Hello, I've been Type 1 since I was 4 years old and now 65. I've got 2 children one 32 and one 29. My consultant told me that if the father was T1 then there was a higher chance of any children developing Diabetes. Both of them are fit and healthy and with NO signs of Diabetes. I hope you find the answers you are looking for on here to make your decision. Best wishes

 

[Melgar]

Neither of my parents had diabetes. My brother has T1 and I do not produce enough insulin (They don’t know why yet). I have a genetic susceptibility for T1 as I have Coeliac disease which is a risk factor for T1. I have attached a study on genetics and T1.

Genetics of Type 1 Diabetes - Diabetes in America - NCBI Bookshelf

ed spelling.