Diabetic nephropathy and pregnancy

Diabetic nephropathy, the most common etiology for end-stage renal disease, complicates approximately 5% of insulin-dependent diabetic pregnancies. Assessment for vasculopathy is important before pregnancy because nephropathy can increase perinatal risks including potential for preeclampsia and preterm birth. Counseling women receiving renoprotective medications including angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors has recently become complicated in light of new information suggesting a teratogenic risk for these agents. Most reproductive age women with overt diabetic nephropathy have preserved renal function and do not seem to have the progression of their disease affected by pregnancy. Perinatal outcomes are excellent for these women who have received care in tertiary institutions. However, there are relatively few women with significant renal impairment included in case series of pregnancies complicated by diabetic nephropathy. For these women, adverse perinatal outcomes are more common, and the effect of pregnancy on the course of their disease is less certain.