A Woman's Guide to Diabetes by Brandy Barnes

Author:Brandy Barnes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: American Diabetes Association
Published: 2014-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Menopause

Menopause is challenging for most of us, but for women with diabetes it can feel like a double whammy. That’s because the hormonal imbalances that trigger menopausal health issues, such as weight gain, moodiness, sleep problems, low sex drive, infections, incontinence, and hot flashes, can also raise or lower blood glucose levels. And since the symptoms of blood sugar highs and lows are similar to those of menopause, it’s easy to confuse the two.

Perimenopause

Menstrual periods may be very irregular in the years leading up to the final period, sometimes with only one to three cycles occurring per year in late perimenopause. A small percentage of women stop having periods abruptly without any cycle fluctuation. Although fertility declines sharply after age 40, perimenopausal women can become pregnant, so contraception is necessary for sexually active women who do not wish to become pregnant until menopause is confirmed.

As the ovaries age, they become less responsive to the hormonal messengers on which they rely for regular function, and greater amounts of estrogen and progesterone are required for ovulation and menstruation to occur. The perimenopausal years are characterized by fluctuating, although not necessarily low, levels of these hormones. The unstable levels of estrogen and progesterone contribute to menstrual cycle irregularities and perimenopausal symptoms. They can also contribute to unstable blood glucose levels.

While the effects of estrogen and progesterone on diabetes control are not entirely understood, in general it appears that higher levels of estrogen may improve insulin sensitivity, while higher levels of progesterone may decrease insulin sensitivity. When insulin sensitivity decreases, more insulin is needed to get glucose into the cells.

The changes associated with perimenopause commonly begin about 3 to 5 years before a woman’s final menstrual period, although some women notice subtle changes as early as their late 30s. In fact, two researchers I have spoken with recently shared their findings that women with diabetes tend to start menopause earlier than their nondiabetic peers, with some starting perimenopause as early as 37. Eventually, the ovaries become unresponsive and unable to ovulate (release eggs). Once the ovaries cease ovulating altogether, estrogen and progesterone levels decline, and menstrual periods stop. The end of menstrual periods signifies the onset of menopause. The decrease in estrogen and progesterone creates a hormonal imbalance that may have one or more of the following effects on your body:

• Changes in blood sugar levels

• Weight gain

• Sleep problems

• Hot flashes

• Mood swings

• Sexual issues

• Infections

• Increased risk of heart disease

Changes in Blood Sugar Levels

Feeling moody? You might assume the problem is due to low blood sugar, so you eat, attempting to raise glucose levels. In fact, your blood sugar may not be low, and the extra food could actually drive it higher, adding unnecessary calories. Estrogen and progesterone affect your cells’ response to insulin. As you go through menopause, changing hormone levels can cause your blood sugar to fluctuate, making it more difficult to control. You will likely need to check your blood glucose levels more frequently during menopause so they don’t

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.