Healthcare providers who work with adolescents with diabetes are in an ideal position to provide education and support regarding contraceptive issues. Diabetes educators and other health professionals who counsel teens focus on other aspects of diabetes care and management but frequently do not address sexual issues or assess contraceptive practices. The purpose of this paper is to review oral contraceptive issues for teens with diabetes and to provide practice implications for health professionals who are in a favorable position to influence the quality of diabetes and general health care for these adolescents.
PIP: 50% of all teens aged 15-19 are sexually active. Like other adolescent women, female adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) are at risk of pregnancy. Female adolescents with IDDM, however, are at greater risk of experiencing congenital malformations in their offspring. Contraceptive counseling is now an integral part of adolescent health care. Such counseling for adolescents with diabetes is even more important given the potential complications of diabetes, the high risk of congenital malformations in young women with less-than-optimal glycemic control, and the contraceptive options available. Markedly lower anomaly rates have been observed among women with intensively managed diabetes prior to conception. Health professionals who work with adolescents with diabetes are in an ideal position to provide education and support on contraception. However, diabetes educators and other health professionals who counsel teens tend to focus upon other aspects of diabetes care and management without addressing sexual issues or assessing contraceptive practices. This paper reviews oral contraceptive issues for teens with diabetes and offers practical implications for health professionals who can influence the quality of diabetes and general health care for such adolescents.