Q: I got diabetes in my 7th month of pregnancy and have been taking insulin regularly. My daughter has pituitary hypoplasia. Is it because of the sugar and insulin that I took during the pregnancy? Or is there any other reason? How can I can avoid the danger in my next pregnancy?

A:The incidence of congenital anomalies increases 3 fold in infants of diabetic mothers. Abnormalities of brain development, especially neural tube defects are common in such infants. The pituitary hypoplasia may thus be linked to gestational diabetes even though there is not much proof in literature to support this view. It will be advisable to test for hyperglycaemia in early pregnancy (from first trimester itself) to avoid a similar occurrence next time.