Menstruation and diabetes

A typical menstrual cycle lasts about 28 days with a normal range of 21 to 35 days. During this roughly month-long cycle, hormonal fluctuations trigger ovulation and then menstruation. These hormonal fluctuations can affect other body systems and functions as well as your reproductive system. Women living with diabetes may experience some menstrual difficulties as a result of these complex hormonal interactions.

Are you bored with your pursuit of blood sugar control in the week before your period? Ever wonder why your blood sugar drops when you haven't done anything different since last week?
This difficult blood sugar control is a complete thing. The reason your blood sugar is harder to control the closer you get to your period is due to the hormonal changes of the menstrual cycle. About half of your menstrual cycle ovulates. At that point in your cycle, your progesterone levels go up.
Studies have shown that progesterone is associated with increased insulin resistance. That means that during the second half of your cycle after ovulation (the luteal phase) when natural progesterone levels are higher, you will experience relative insulin resistance. This physiological response is known as insulin resistance in the luteal phase.
Insulin resistance in the luteal phase usually naturally leads to more episodes of hyperglycemia even if you don't change your exercise and diet in any way.
But there is an even greater luteal phase challenge for women living with diabetes.
The same increase in progesterone that makes you temporarily resistant to insulin can also make you crave simple carbohydrates and can make you lose motivation to exercise.
Insulin resistance + appetite + decreased activity = poor blood sugar control
Over time, this cyclical poor control can increase the risk of diabetes complications.
If you are living with diabetes, it is very important to be mindful of your diet and exercise during the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle. Women with type 1 diabetes may be more sensitive to this menstrual cycle-related insulin resistance. However, if you are using oral medication for your diabetes, you may not be checking your blood sugar as often, so you may not be aware of the cyclical poor blood sugar control. .

If your own hormonal fluctuations can affect your blood sugar control, it's not surprising that exogenous hormones can have a similar effect. During your menstrual cycle, the most significant insulin resistance is seen during the luteal phase when your progesterone levels are highest. However, some research suggests that estrogen, as well as progesterone, can also cause insulin resistance. Hormonal contraceptives that contain estrogen and progesterone include:
Birth control pills Contraceptive patch Vaginal rings Progesterone-only hormonal contraceptives include:
Mirena Nexplanon Depo-Provera Pills Only contains progesterone Any of these hormonal contraceptives can increase your body's insulin resistance, making it harder for you to control your blood sugar. In general, if you have diabetes, use these methods. It's important to note that using hormonal birth control can change your blood sugar control. Make sure to pay attention to your blood sugar when you start or change a hormonal method of birth control.

If you are living with type 1 diabetes, you may experience a slightly shorter reproductive period than women without diabetes and even women living with type 2 diabetes. Your reproductive years are the years between your first period, also known as menopause, and the onset of menopause.
Unfortunately, we still don't understand exactly why this happens, but despite improvements in diabetes management and glycemic control, studies support a delayed onset of diabetes. dysmenorrhea in type 1 diabetes. This is especially true the younger you are when you are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
In addition to delayed periods, you may also have more irregular periods than others. You don't have diabetes. It is suggested that more than one-third of adolescents with type 1 diabetes will have irregular periods.

While type 2 diabetes can occur in women who are not overweight, it is likely that if you are living with type 2 diabetes, you are struggling with your weight. Losing weight can be challenging but not impossible for women with type 2 diabetes. Unlike with type 1 diabetes, your body doesn't produce enough insulin, if you're living with the disease. With type 2 diabetes, your body becomes resistant to insulin.
When you are overweight, excess fat or adipose tissue produces hormones that increase your insulin resistance. This insulin resistance will then trigger your pancreas to produce more insulin. While we don't understand exactly how it happens, this increased insulin interacts with the hormones that control your menstrual cycle. When your cyclical hormonal fluctuations are disrupted, you won't ovulate, and if you don't ovulate, you won't have regular periods.
Your type 2 diabetes could be part of a condition known as polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS. If you have PCOS, you have an imbalance in ovarian hormone production. This imbalance prevents regular ovulation leading to irregular menstrual cycles. This condition is also associated with elevated insulin levels due to overproduction of insulin due to insulin resistance. Usually, the more overweight you are, the less often you will ovulate and your periods will become more irregular.

Endometrial cancer is the most commonly diagnosed gynecological cancer. It occurs sporadically in women under the age of 50 and is most commonly diagnosed in women after menopause.
If you are living with type 2 diabetes, you have a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer and this risk does not depend on your BMI. This increased risk is thought to be related to the insulin resistance and elevated insulin levels of type 2 diabetes.
Your risk is even increased if you are significantly overweight. An elevated BMI can lead to irregular or no menstrual cycles. During these cycles, the lining of your uterus is exposed to estrogen without the protective effects of progesterone, which leads to more endometrial growth. And if that's not enough, your fat or adipose tissue makes extra estrogen. The more overweight you are, the more estrogen you produce.
Over time, this extra exposure to estrogen can lead to endometrial cancer.
If you have a need for consultation and examination at Vinmec Hospitals under the national health system, please book an appointment on the website (vinmec.com) for service.

References: diabetes.co.uk, verywellhealth.com