We know that diabetes is a disease which affects a large variety of population all over the world. Both men and women are affected by the condition which takes place in the body when either the body is not producing enough insulin or the hormone so produced by the pancreas of the body is not functioning effectively and efficiently.

Following are some of the facts brought forward by a study conducted by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF):

• There were an estimated 199.5 million women diabetes patient in 2015 alone. It is further estimated that by 2030, this number shall rise to 313.3 million.
• Two out of every five women who is affected by the condition is of reproductive age, that is to say, that the women suffer from gestational diabetes.
• One in every seven births is affected by what is called gestational diabetes.
• Besides, the IDF estimates that in 2015 out of the total births given by women, 16.2 % of the births were affected by the condition of hyperglycemia in the mother.
• The risk of hyperglycemia or high blood glucose in pregnancy tends to increase with the age of the woman and is considered to be the highest after the age of 45.

There are several unknown facts about diabetes and its complications, treatment, etc. which are not known or are simply ignored. In this article, we bring to you the top 10 things about which the women with diabetes should know. Join in for the article “10 Things Women with Diabetes Should Know.”

Things Which Women with Diabetes Should Know

1. Women who have attained the age of 45 and is going through menopause stand at a higher risk of contracting diabetes. After a particular test, the women must get tested once in a couple of years or so.

2. There is a common misconception that when a woman suffers from diabetes, she finds it difficult to get pregnant or conduct day to day activities, etc. However, this is a big misconception and all women should know that with a few small changes in the daily lifestyle, it is possible to lead a normal and healthy life. It is absolutely possible to deliver normal babies as well.

3. If you are a woman who is suffering from type 1 diabetes, it is important for you to remember that it is absolutely normal for you if you get into puberty later than your peers who are not diabetic. It is a known fact amongst the medical fraternity that women with diabetes get into puberty later and also the menopause for these women come sooner than most of their healthy peers.

4. If you are a woman suffering from diabetes, you should take complete care of the level of blood sugar and blood glucose. While this is an important measure which should be followed by everyone who has diabetes, it is of particular importance for the women as most of the times women suffering from the condition passes it on to her child if she happens to suffer from gestational diabetes. Besides, the woman should never think that having diabetes is a curse. It is absolutely normal to suffer from the condition and it is imperative for you to remember that you are not the only one.

5. It is a well-known fact that in order to move the glucose or sugar away from the blood into the cells to absorb energy, trans dermal estrogen is much more effective than the oral estrogen. If you are a woman who suffers from type 2 diabetes and is taking estrogen, there are chances that you will have 0.5% of lower estrogen in your body as compared to type 2 patients who do not have estrogen.

In fact, it has been found out by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) that the women who take estrogen are at a much lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes as compared to those who do not take it.

6. For a diabetic patient, the fasting blood sugar is under 126mg/dl or even higher. As per the American Diabetes Association, the normal blood sugar for a diabetic should be around 80-130mg/dl before the meals and around 200mg/dl a couple of hours after meals. This is general for all diabetic patients and should be known by both men and women.

7. It is important to know that there is nothing called a diabetic diet. When we eat food, the food breaks down into proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Although too much of these is not good for health, some amount of each of these should be had in adequate quantities so that the essential vitamins and minerals present in these helps benefit our health in the long run.

8. It is a known fact that women with diabetes are at a greater chance of suffering from eye problems, heart-related conditions, as well as thinning of bones. Hence, it is advisable to the women who suffer from this condition that they get regular check-ups for their blood sugar as well as bone density. This is of particular importance after the women go through the menopause. All women diabetic patients should be aware of the same.

9. We know by now that the best way of reducing the complications of diabetes is to get into a proper diet, get into the habit of regular physical exercising, and lose weight. However, as against the popular belief, you need not lose too much of weight to manage diabetes effectively. As per a few experts losing only 7% of weight can go a long way in better managing diabetes. For instance, if you are a diabetic woman who weighs around 150 pounds, you need to lose approximately only 7% or around 10 pounds of weight.

10. When you are pregnant with a baby, you need to take much more care about your blood glucose and sugar level as not keeping the level of blood sugar under control will hamper both the mother and the baby. It is of utmost importance during the first 12 to 13 weeks of pregnancy as this is the time when the organs of the child are forming. During this time, if due care is taken to the blood glucose level, you can stay assured that the baby is born without any functionalities and you have a normal, smooth delivery.

Apart from the above, there are several other things about diabetes which both men and women should be aware of. All the details about the same have been discussed in various other posts shared by us. Diabetes is a complicated disease and knowing about it is of utmost importance so that you are able to better manage the condition.

Read Also: 10 Best Advice To Parents of Children with Diabetes

We hope that the above post has been helpful in educating and increasing your knowledge about things that women with diabetes should know. Knowing that a woman has diabetes is of prime importance because there are several other conditions in which a woman has similar symptoms. Hence, she can live with diabetes for several years and may not be aware of her condition. If you are a woman and has symptoms such as frequent urination, mood swings, itchy skin, sweaty nights, and vaginal infection, it may be that not only are you approaching menopause but are also suffering from the chronic diabetes disease.