Women’s Health and Diabetes

This week I sat down with Mary (@mary.type1) to discuss all things women’s health as it relates to diabetes. We talk about our personal experiences with yeast infections, PAP smears, birth control, and periods along with what we have learned from doing our own research. Please remember, this is not medical advice and these topics vary from person to person. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your health plan.

When it comes to periods and diabetes, it can feel like a rollercoaster of changes from day to day. As you can see, women experience a fluctuation of hormone levels due to our menstrual cycle that can impact blood sugar. This study comes from On Track Diabetes (the website is no longer available but it is broken down here) and is based on women not on birth control. Overall, it seems that many women with diabetes experience elevated blood sugar levels before menstruation, during menstruation, and during ovulation (eye roll). Tracking blood sugar levels throughout the month, noticing patterns, and talking to your doctor can help you to find basal rates that work with the fluctuations of your hormones.

My personal experience with birth control pills and blood sugar was an overall consistency with levels throughout the month except during the week of my period (taking the sugar pills). On the week of my period, my blood sugars would drop often and I did not need nearly as much insulin. After talking to my gynecologist, she told me that because birth control pills can cause insulin resistance in some people (hence why weight gain is a common side effect), the week that you are not taking the hormonal pills, the insulin resistance lets up and thats why I experienced many low blood sugars. Due to this, I set up a lower basal rate during the week of period to avoid the hypos. Again, this is my personal experience and will not be true for everyone. Consult your doctor to find a solution that works for you.

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