How do periods affect blood sugar levels in girls with type 1 diabetes? What is the best way to manage blood sugar during menstruation? Does diabetes impact the menstrual cycle or cause delayed puberty? Find answers to these questions and more in this comprehensive article.

The Impact of Periods on Type 1 Diabetes

Periods can present unique challenges for girls and women with type 1 diabetes. The hormonal fluctuations that occur during the menstrual cycle can cause significant changes in blood sugar levels, which need to be carefully managed. In this article, we will explore the relationship between periods and type 1 diabetes, providing practical tips for managing blood sugar levels and understanding the potential effects on the menstrual cycle.

How Do Periods Affect Blood Sugar Levels?

Around the time of a period, the body produces a surge of hormones, including progesterone and estrogen. These hormonal changes can impact insulin sensitivity and, consequently, blood sugar levels. Most girls with type 1 diabetes find that their blood sugar levels rise in the three to five days leading up to their period, and then return to normal a few days into the menstrual cycle. This is thought to be due to the increased insulin resistance caused by the rise in progesterone.

However, some girls experience the opposite effect, with their blood sugar levels falling a few days before their period when estrogen levels rise. For others, their period may have no noticeable impact on their blood sugar at all. The response can vary from person to person and even from cycle to cycle.

Managing Blood Sugar Levels During Periods

The key to managing blood sugar levels during a period is close monitoring and adjustment of insulin doses. Girls with type 1 diabetes should check their blood sugar levels more frequently before, during, and after their period. Keeping a detailed log of blood sugar readings, insulin doses, and symptoms can help identify patterns and make necessary adjustments.

If a girl’s blood sugar levels tend to rise before her period, she may need to increase her insulin dose in the days leading up to it. Conversely, if her levels tend to drop, she may need to reduce her insulin during that time. Working closely with a diabetes healthcare team can help develop the best management strategy.

The Impact of Periods on Insulin Sensitivity and Carbohydrate Cravings

Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle can also affect insulin sensitivity and carbohydrate cravings. Many girls and women experience increased hunger and cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods, such as sugary snacks or white bread, in the days leading up to and during their period. This is often due to fluctuations in serotonin, the “happiness hormone,” which can be boosted by consuming these types of foods.

To help manage these cravings, it’s important to encourage healthy carbohydrate choices, such as whole-grain breads, fruits, and vegetables. Regular exercise can also help regulate blood sugar levels and improve mood during this time.

Does Diabetes Affect the Menstrual Cycle or Delay Puberty?

Diabetes can potentially impact the menstrual cycle, leading to irregular or missed periods. This is often related to poor blood sugar control or significant weight changes. However, as long as a girl’s diabetes is well-managed, it should not delay the onset of menstruation or affect the regular progression of puberty.

If a girl with type 1 diabetes experiences irregular periods or delayed puberty, it’s important to consult with a healthcare provider to rule out any underlying issues and ensure proper management of the condition.

Navigating the Challenges of Periods and Type 1 Diabetes

Periods can present unique challenges for girls and women with type 1 diabetes, but with proper management and support, these challenges can be overcome. By closely monitoring blood sugar levels, adjusting insulin doses, and making healthy lifestyle choices, girls with type 1 diabetes can manage their periods effectively and maintain good overall health.

It’s important for girls and their families to work closely with their diabetes healthcare team to develop a personalized management plan and address any concerns or questions that arise. With the right support and strategies, girls with type 1 diabetes can navigate the ups and downs of their menstrual cycle with confidence.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the relationship between periods and type 1 diabetes is a complex one, with the potential for significant impacts on blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. By understanding the hormonal changes that occur during the menstrual cycle and implementing effective management strategies, girls and women with type 1 diabetes can overcome the challenges posed by their periods and maintain good overall health and wellbeing.

Periods and Type 1 diabetes

From cramps to mood swings, periods are tough, no matter how old you are. And it can be even worse when you’re young. You’ve got all sorts of other hormonal and life changes happening at the same time.  

The good news is Type 1 diabetes shouldn’t affect your daughter’s periods, for example, how regular or heavy they are. But menstruation can cause some changes to blood sugar levels that you both need to watch out for.  

How do periods affect blood sugar levels?

Around the time of your period, you produce lots of hormones. These can make your blood sugar levels change, and these changes are different for each girl.

Most girls with Type 1 diabetes find their sugar levels go up three to five days before their period starts. They then go back to normal a few days into their period. Doctors think this is because of the amount of the hormone progesterone in your body, which can cause insulin resistance. But some girls find the opposite happens. Their sugar levels fall a few days before their period when the hormone oestrogen rises and then goes back to normal a few days in. 

Other girls find their period has no effect on their blood sugar at all. 

Some girls see the same effect on their blood sugar each month. For others, it might change every month but both are normal.

It’s very different from person to person, so how you handle it will be different too.  

Managing blood sugar levels around periods

The first step to managing blood sugar levels around your daughter’s period is keeping a careful eye on what they’re doing. 

You and your daughter should check her sugar levels more than usual before, during and just after her periods. That way you’ll know what to do with your daughter’s insulin dose. Your diabetes nurse will be able to help with this.

Keeping a note of your daughter’s levels month after month will also let you see if they fall into a pattern, making them easier to manage. Our logbooks are really useful for keeping track of levels over time.

If your daughter’s menstrual cycle is irregular, keeping track might be trickier. Having irregular periods is common and very common when girls have just started their periods.

But it’s still possible to see if there is a pattern with her blood sugar levels. Try writing down the dates of her periods, alongside blood sugar levels every day. You’ll be able to see what’s happening over a few months. 

Your daughter’s levels should go back to normal each month after her period. If this doesn’t happen, or her blood sugar levels continue to change, speak to your diabetes team. 

Other aspects of puberty could be causing levels to change too.

What’s best to eat when you have your period? 

Hormone changes can also make you feel hungrier, especially for carbohydrates, in the run-up to and during your period. This can be the case for anyone, including girls with Type 1 diabetes. 

Your daughter may well crave carbs like sugary food and white bread. This may be because her serotonin levels (the ‘happiness hormone’) are low during her period, and eating food like this boosts them. But encourage her to stick to healthier carbs like whole grain bread, as best she can. 

Getting plenty of exercise just before and during her period can help lower blood sugar and help your daughter feel better emotionally too.

Does diabetes affect any other period symptoms?

Periods can have lots of side effects from premenstrual syndrome or mood swings, through to bloating, cramps and headaches. Girls with Type 1 diabetes can have all of these too but there’s no evidence linking any of them with diabetes.

Can diabetes make girls start their periods late?

As long as your daughter’s diabetes is being managed, it shouldn’t delay or speed up when she gets her first period. The average age to get your first period is 12, but it can happen any time during puberty. 

Being underweight can delay periods starting, or stop them once they have started, but as long as your daughter’s weight and sugar levels are being managed, this shouldn’t happen.
 

Does diabetes affect the menstrual cycle?

Diabetes may cause unusual changes to a person’s menstrual cycle. Likewise, the hormonal changes that happen throughout the menstrual cycle can affect a person’s diabetes.

This article explains how diabetes can affect a person’s menstrual cycle.

It also explains the associations between the menstrual cycle, blood glucose, insulin, and the possible development of type 2 diabetes.

Menstruation refers to the time when progesterone and estrogen levels drop and the body sheds the lining of the uterus through the vagina. Usually, a menstrual period will last for 3–7 days.

The menstrual cycle is the time period between the first day of one menstrual period and the first day of the next. These cycles can vary from one individual to another. The average length of a menstrual cycle is around 28 days, but they can range from 24 to 38 days.

People with diabetes may have an increased risk of experiencing irregular or unpredictable menstrual cycles.

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes should not affect the regularity of the menstrual cycle or the heaviness of a person’s periods. That said, menstrual irregularities can sometimes occur with this condition.

Menstruation can begin at any time throughout puberty, but the average age is 12 years. Type 1 diabetes should not affect the age at which a person has their first period. However, there have been some reports of later first periods in people with type 1 diabetes.

That said, as long as the person is not underweight and they are able to manage their type 1 diabetes well, they should not experience any delay in starting menstruation.

Type 2 diabetes

People with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of anovulation. This occurs when an ovary does not release an egg into the fallopian tube. When this happens, a person will not have their period.

Although the risk of anovulation is higher in people with diabetes, not everyone with diabetes will experience it.

There may be a link between irregular menstrual cycles and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

A large-scale study from 2020, which involved 75,546 females, investigated a possible link between menstrual cycle dysfunction and the development of type 2 diabetes.

The study found that those who had experienced long or irregular menstrual cycles in their teenage and adult years were more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who had experienced regular menstrual cycles.

According to the researchers, hormonal imbalances may play a critical role in the link between irregular menstrual cycles and the development of type 2 diabetes.

They add that long and irregular menstrual cycles are strong indicators of increased insulin levels, or hyperinsulinemia. This can trigger a cascade of events that eventually exacerbate insulin resistance, in which the body is unable to use insulin to control blood glucose levels effectively.

In this study, some other risk factors for type 2 diabetes included:

• having overweight or obesity
• being physically inactive
• consuming a low quality diet

During the menstrual cycle, changes in hormones can affect insulin and blood glucose levels.

After ovulation, a person enters the second half of their menstrual cycle, called the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. This phase is characterized by an increase in the hormone progesterone.

Increased levels of progesterone can cause temporary insulin resistance, which healthcare professionals call luteal phase insulin resistance.

A 2013 study involving six females with type 1 diabetes found that blood glucose levels were higher during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

Additionally, some people with type 1 diabetes may experience lower blood glucose levels at the start of their periods. They may need to alter their insulin intake accordingly. Blood glucose levels usually return to normal after a period has ended.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition characterized by an imbalance of reproductive hormones. People with PCOS have higher levels of hormones called androgens, which can prevent ovulation.

Some symptoms of PCOS include:

• irregular periods
• weight gain or difficulty losing weight
• acne
• excess hair on the face or body
• thinning hair on the scalp
• darkening of the skin around the neck, breasts, and groin
• skin tags in the armpits or neck area

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with PCOS often have insulin resistance, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. This risk further increases if the person also has overweight or obesity.

The CDC also states that more than half of people with PCOS develop type 2 diabetes by the time they reach 40 years of age. People with PCOS may be able to reduce this risk by maintaining a moderate weight through diet and regular exercise.

Regular and predictable menstrual cycles are important indicators of overall health. As such, a person should contact a doctor if they experience irregular menstrual cycles or unusual changes to their menstrual cycle.

A person should also contact a doctor if they experience any of the following:

• no period for longer than 3 months
• heavy periods with large clots of blood lasting 5–7 days
• bleeding between periods

If a person has diabetes and is finding it difficult to control their blood glucose levels during certain stages of their menstrual cycle, they can contact a doctor to discuss the next steps.

A person may find it helpful to track their blood glucose levels throughout the menstrual cycle so that they can detect any patterns in their overall health.

Below are some treatment tips for managing diabetes and alleviating menstrual symptoms.

Managing diabetes

It is important that people with diabetes take steps to monitor and control their blood glucose levels throughout the menstrual cycle.

If a person has type 2 diabetes and is not taking insulin, getting regular exercise can help reduce their blood glucose levels. People may need to maintain regular exercise before and during menstruation or whenever their blood glucose levels begin to peak.

People may find that their appetite increases before their period. In order to prevent blood glucose levels from rising, they should try to avoid refined carbohydrates.

Some examples of refined carbs include:

• white bread
• pastries
• white rice
• pasta
• breakfast cereals
• sodas
• foods containing added sugars

If a person is taking insulin, they may need to alter their dosage throughout their menstrual cycle as well as manage their intake of carbs.

Managing menstrual symptoms

The following home remedies may help alleviate period pain and other menstrual symptoms:

• taking over-the-counter pain relief medication
• applying a warm compress to the abdomen or lower back
• aiming to get around 8 hours of quality sleep each night
• managing stress with relaxation or mindfulness techniques
• maintaining regular exercise and eating healthily throughout the menstrual cycle

People with type 1 or type 2 diabetes may have an increased risk of experiencing irregular or unpredictable menstrual cycles.

It is important to note that hormonal changes that occur during the menstrual cycle can also affect a person’s diabetes. Hormonal fluctuations can trigger changes in blood glucose levels and insulin levels. So, people with diabetes need to take steps to manage these changes.

A person should contact a doctor if they have diabetes and are experiencing irregular or unusual menstrual cycles. They should also contact a doctor if they are finding it difficult to manage their blood glucose levels throughout their menstrual cycle.

Read this article in Spanish.

Features of the course of the menstrual cycle in girls with type 1 diabetes mellitus

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Women and diabetes | GBUZ SK “REGIONAL BALNEOLOGICAL HOSPITAL”

For posting on the sites of health facilities!

“Mens sana in corpore sana” –
We must strive to ensure that
there is a healthy mind in a healthy body.
Roman poet Juvenal

“Women and Diabetes – A Right to a Healthy Future”
In 2017, International Diabetes Day is celebrated under the theme “Women and Diabetes”. Elena Krasilnikova, head of the diabetology center of the Regional Endocrinological Dispensary, an endocrinologist of the highest qualification category, answers questions related to this very topical topic.
“If we talk about the prevalence of diabetes among men and women, then, naturally, it is higher in women. This is especially true for women of the middle and older age groups. Women live longer than men, and women visit doctors more often. Therefore, the detection of diabetes mellitus is higher in them. Two out of five women with diabetes are of childbearing age. More recently, it was believed that diabetes mellitus (DM) and pregnancy are two incompatible concepts. At present, we are confident that a woman diagnosed with diabetes can give birth to a healthy child and we help her in every possible way in this. It is impossible to solve this problem only by prohibitions and intimidation of a woman with stories about possible risks and complications. This only leads to the fact that most often doctors are faced with an existing pregnancy that has arisen and progresses against the background of decompensated diabetes with all the ensuing consequences for the child and the mother herself. Therefore, pregnancy planning is of great importance for a woman with diabetes. Pregnancy planning with diabetes first of all means the onset of pregnancy against the background of compensation for diabetes in a well-trained and disease-oriented woman, without the presence or progression of late complications and any concomitant diseases. Pregnancy planning includes several important steps: first, and most importantly, is training at the Diabetes School, preventing pregnancy until compensation is achieved, careful self-monitoring of blood glucose levels, drawing up an individual nutrition plan, physical activity and insulin therapy regimen; Comprehensive medical examination and treatment”
Why is it so important to normalize blood glucose levels before pregnancy?
“A normal pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, counting from the first day of the last menstrual period. If a woman did not plan a pregnancy, then most often she finds out about it 2-3 weeks after the delay of the next menstruation. With decompensated diabetes, the menstrual cycle may be irregular, and a woman finds out about pregnancy much later, already at the 2nd or 3rd month. By this time (before the 7th week), the laying of all the internal organs of the child had already taken place. There is already a central nervous system, intestines, the heart beats and pumps blood through the vessels. Organ systems, eyes, limbs and the hearing aid begin to form. Therefore, all possible complications in the unborn child associated with poor compensation of diabetes in the mother can develop already by the time the pregnancy is actually established. That’s why it’s so important to have normal blood glucose levels even before pregnancy. It is the stable compensation of DM 2-3 months before conception and during the first seven weeks of pregnancy that is the prevention of congenital malformations. It is quite clear that after the 7th week of pregnancy it is also necessary to maintain blood sugar levels within normal limits. Hyperglycemia at a later date will not only affect the development of the baby, but also worsen the course of pregnancy, contribute to the progression of vascular complications of diabetes.
When planning and during pregnancy, the compensation criteria for both types of diabetes are different and very strict. Measurement of the level of glycated hemoglobin – HbA1c allows you to assess the quality of self-control over the last 6-8 weeks and is the most reliable criterion for achieving compensation for diabetes for pregnancy. HbA1c before pregnancy should be below 6.4%. Observation of a woman during pregnancy should be carried out by endocrinologist, obstetrician-gynecologist, if necessary, by specialist doctors: ophthalmologist, neuropathologist, nephrologist,
The second problem is the development of gestational diabetes mellitus in the second half of pregnancy in completely healthy women, that is, diabetes mellitus develops against the background of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is recorded in approximately 2.0-3.5% of women. This is due to the peculiarities of glucose metabolism in a pregnant woman, the action of hormones that the placenta produces, as a result of which insulin resistance develops, that is, poor insulin sensitivity. We always say that pregnancy in any case should be planned. Therefore, it is possible and important to assess the risks of developing gestational diabetes already at the planning stage.”
Elena Evgenievna, please name the risk factors for the development of gestational diabetes.
“This is overweight or obese, over 30 years of age; the presence of relatives suffering from diabetes; a previous pregnancy had gestational diabetes, found sugar in the urine, or had a large baby weighing more than 4.0 kg”
What is the prevention of diabetes?
“Currently, all pregnant women have their glucose levels checked at their first appointment with their OB/GYN doctor, and then an oral glucose tolerance test is performed between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. Moreover, during this test, the level of glucose in the blood plasma is measured not only on an empty stomach and after 2 hours, but also additionally 1 hour after the “load”. In this way, they check for gestational diabetes and, if necessary, give recommendations for treatment.
If gestational diabetes mellitus is detected, a woman is subject to close observation by an endocrinologist. In 95% of cases, gestational diabetes mellitus is corrected by diet, exercise, but in some cases, the use of insulin is required, this is a mandatory therapeutic measure aimed at lowering blood sugar. In either case, the goal of treatment is the same – to keep blood sugar close to normal in order to have a healthy baby. Gestational diabetes resolves after childbirth in most cases. However, after giving birth, it is recommended to re-test for diabetes after 6-12 weeks. If everything turns out to be normal, then control every 3 years is necessary. ”
Are there other periods of life, besides pregnancy and childbirth, that also require attention to the state of their health by every woman?
“The next difficult period for women is the onset of menopause, when the hormonal background changes, insulin resistance develops, and the metabolic rate decreases.
During this period, the best way to prevent diabetes is to change your lifestyle, change and control your diet, reduce weight if you have excess weight. Physical exercise is also helpful in preventing type 2 diabetes. It is necessary to choose the type of physical activity that will be enjoyable and engage in it. For example, you might enjoy swimming, jogging, aerobics, yoga, Nordic walking.