Type 1 Diabetes

Women with type I diabetes rely on regular doses of insulin to replace their bodies' own insulin.

Type 1 diabetes was formerly known as juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent diabetes. It occurs when the beta cells in the pancreas, which are responsible for producing insulin, no longer do so. Most commonly, the actions of a person's own immune system damage the beta cells.

Type 1 diabetes usually occurs between childhood and young adulthood, but it is possible for adults of any age to develop type 1 diabetes. Less than 10 percent of people with diabetes have type 1.

Many women, when they develop diabetes, worry about whether their children will also develop the condition. In fact, statistics show that if the mother has type 1 diabetes, there is a two percent chance that her child will develop it. If the father has type 1 diabetes, the chance is six percent.

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