What Most Women With Diabetes Never Get Told7 min read

Pregnancy Planning Support Is Nearly Absent

The data on prepregnancy and fertility counseling was particularly striking. Women with diabetes received this type of care at low and inconsistent rates across the studies — in some studies, the rate was as low as 1 percent. Prepregnancy counseling for women with diabetes is medically significant because blood sugar control before and during pregnancy directly affects fetal development and pregnancy outcomes. Marilyn Tan, MD, an endocrinologist at Stanford Health Care, noted that taking proactive steps before conception is important for both prenatal and postpartum outcomes in women with diabetes. Despite this, the data suggest most women are not receiving that guidance in any systematic way.

STI Screening: A Research Gap on Top of a Care Gap

Researchers also found that no studies in their review compared sexually transmitted infection screening rates between women with and without diabetes. This absence is notable for two reasons. First, it suggests a potential area of unexamined care disparity. Second, it highlights a gap in the research itself — the field simply hasn’t gathered enough data to understand whether women with diabetes are also missing out on this category of care. The study authors specifically flagged this as an area needing future investigation. It’s a reminder that the gaps identified in this analysis may represent only part of the full picture of preventive care disparities for this population.