The risk of retinopathy development may increase during pregnancy. Serious effects can arise for both the mother and the fetus, even though retinopathy is not common during pregnancy. It is possible to avoid significant retinopathy by carefully planning a young diabetic woman's pregnancy and proceeding promptly to laser photocoagulate in cases of severe non-proliferative retinopathy. A tendency for regress is frequently seen in diabetic retinopathy during the post-natal period. Subsequent pregnancies do not significantly increase the risk of progression if the retinopathy is stable before pregnancy.