Women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who are planning a pregnancy should not stop using contraception until stable glycaemia is achieved, new advice suggests.

And those taking certain insulin analogues or other newer glucose-lowering agents, such as gliflozins or incretin mimetics, should be prescribed safer alternative diabetes drugs during the antenatal period.

The recommendations are contained in updated guidelines from the Australian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society (ADIPS) on the management of women with pre-existing diabetes, published in RANZCOG’s journal earlier this month.

According to the advice, women should aim for a HbA1c target as close to ≤6.5% as possible “without significant weight gain or hypoglycaemia” before discontinuing contraception.