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| What should I expect during menopause as a woman with diabetes? (Camille) |
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Dear CDE, I have been going through menopause for about a year now and my blood sugar control has suffered. I want to know: Can menopause cause fluctuations in my blood sugars? and can you tell me what should I expect during menopause as a woman with diabetes?
Thank you!
Happy Thanksgiving Ladies! With the holiday season already here, it’s hard to believe another year has flown by!! For me personally, the year 2010 is a big one as I will turn 50 years old AAGGHH…That’s scary!! Along with this age milestone also comes that time in a woman’s life called Menopause. Some people refer to it as “mental pause” as we peri-menopausal and menopausal women cannot remember anything. Some call it “Men o Pause” as we tend to be very moody and may feel less loving to the men in our lives!Going through menopause can be very challenging to most women and when you also have diabetes, you can be faced with a double challenge. First, menopause means the cessation of the menstrual cycle. A woman is not considered postmenopausal until one year after her last menstrual cycle. During menopause, there is a decrease in the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The fluctuating hormone levels can cause many symptoms which may include hot flashes, weight gain, vaginal and urinary symptoms, and sleep disturbances. The hormones, estrogen and progesterone affect how your cells respond to insulin. So, when these hormones are fluctuating, you can also experience fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Blood sugars become less predictable and more variable. When you have diabetes and are taking either insulin or an oral agent that can cause low blood sugar, it is often hard to distinguish between a hot flash and an insulin reaction. If you gain weight during menopause, you may need more insulin or oral medications. With these issues, if blood sugar is higher, that makes you at higher risk for infections. Typically women see a higher rate of vaginal and/or urinary tract infections. If you have had the typical sleep disturbances, you may be less able to deal with your life stresses due to sleep deprivation which can also cause higher blood sugar levels. All in all diabetes and menopause together can be very challenging! Personally, I have dealt with some of these issues as I am stepping into the next phase of life (menopause). My blood sugars have been much more unpredictable. While many of my patients have had issues with high blood sugars, seemingly unexplainable, I have had issues with low blood sugars and have had to decrease my insulin dose fairly significantly. And the ole question of “Is it a hot flash or a low blood sugar?” keeps coming up. So what do we do in this crazy time of life? First, measure blood sugars much more often. Again, for me because of the lows, I have had to set up stricter guidelines for myself because of the severity of the lows and my inability to feel them. Keep logs of your readings and discuss them with your physician as your diabetes medications may need to be changed during this period of time. Eat a more healthful meal plan including whole grains, fruits , and vegetables. Exercise more regularly and consistently. Both of these things can help prevent the weight gain often associated with menopause as well as help with the other common side effects of menopause.
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Now I'm 41, and getting hot
So far, no major disruptions in my "cycle" 
because I'm "too