Q Hi, I am a 24 year old woman. I come from a family which has a diabetes problem. My father got diabetes in his early 30s. I do not have too many details on this (eg his sugar levels). My family seems pretty sure i will also get diabetes and hence should get married and have kids soon before it happens. So what i would like to know is, what are my chances of getting diabetes at an early age? If i Do get it, is pregnancy very risky? I would prefer getting married by the age of 26-27, and kids maybe by 28-29; so will that be risky thing to do considering diabetes (which may or may not hit by that age).
If you have strong family history of diabetes, then there is a possibility that you are genetically more prone to get this disease. But it does not mean that you will certainly get this disease. There are many dietary, lifestyle related and environmental factors needed to accelerate the occurrence of diabetes in such condition, It is not compulsory that you will get this disease, just because you have family history of it. Family history or genetic predisposition may increase the chances of getting diabetes or it is one of the risk factors for developing diabetes. But this is not the sole cause of it. So, if you maintain good, healthy lifestyle and proper food habits, you may never develop diabetes. As to develop diabetes, generally a bad lifestyle and food habits are responsible. Hence, it is called as lifestyle disease. So, it should not be linked with your marriage or pregnancy. And even if unfortunately you get this, pregnancy is not that much difficult to manage. There is advanced medical care available to make pregnancy smoother in diabetic mothers. According to us, you can take your own time to decide about your marriage. Maintain healthy lifestyle and diet, and be relaxed to enjoy your life.