Dealing With Menopause When You’re Also Diabetic

Menopause is a period in a woman’s life in which ovaries stop producing eggs, and the menstrual cycle comes to an end. During this time, the levels of estrogen drop and cause many symptoms, such as hot flashes, mood changes, vaginal dryness, etc. Menopause is already hard to deal with, but when you have diabetes, it becomes even more challenging. The combined effect of menopause and diabetes can be proven extremely detrimental to health if not managed properly.   

What Challenges You May Face With Both Diabetes And Menopause?

Fluctuating Blood Sugar Levels:

During menopause, the levels of estrogen and progesterone start changing in your body. These hormones vastly affect how your cells respond to insulin, consequently fluctuating your blood sugar levels and making it harder to control diabetes and prevent diabetes complications. 

Weight Gain:

Many women experience weight gain during or after menopause. Excessive weight can increase your body’s requirement of insulin and may require an adjustment in your diabetes medication.

Increased Risk of Infections:

After menopause, the levels of estrogen drop, making it easier for bacterias and yeast to thrive in the urinary tract and vagina. Diabetes is already known to increase the risk of the urinary tract and vaginal infections. However, with menopause, the risk of getting these injections are even higher. 

Trouble Sleeping:

Most women experience hot flashes and night sweats after menopause, which make it difficult to fall asleep. However, this sleep deprivation can adversely affect your diabetes management and make it harder to control your blood glucose levels.

Sexual Dysfunction:

High blood sugar levels can damage the nerves in the vagina and make it difficult for women to become aroused or achieve orgasms. These sexual problems are worsened by vaginal dryness, which is a common symptom of menopause. 

How Can You Manage Menopause With Diabetes?

Monitor Your Blood Sugar Levels Closely:

Check your blood sugar levels frequently during the day and night and understand how your blood sugar levels respond to menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, etc. Note down these readings and consult with your doctor. It will help your healthcare team adjust your medications and devise a better diabetes management plan.  

Make Lifestyle Changes:

Making healthy lifestyle changes are anyway crucial for controlling diabetes. However, in the case of menopause, these changes are even more important. You must eat a healthy and balanced diet, stay physically active, quit smoking, reduce alcohol consumption and manage stress to deal with menopause along with diabetes.

Consult A Doctor For Your Menopausal Symptoms:

Women experience many symptoms during and after menopause, such as vaginal dryness, hot flashes, weight gain, sleeping problems, etc. Do not hesitate to seek help to alleviate these menopausal symptoms. For example, you may consult a doctor for vaginal dryness. They may recommend you a vaginal lubricant to make sex less painful. If weight gain is a problem, then a dietitian might help. 

Reduce The Risk Of Heart Diseases:

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the main complications of diabetes. After menopause, the risk of getting heart disease increases. Therefore, you need to be extra cautious about your heart health. Monitor your blood pressure levels regularly and in case of any fluctuations, consult your doctor. Also, get your cholesterol checked at regular intervals and take cholesterol-reducing medicines if you need them.

Ask Your Doctor About Hormone Replacement Therapy:

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a treatment that helps balance the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body, thereby relieving menopausal symptoms. It is also beneficial in improving insulin sensitivity in the body. However, there are also many risks of HRT, such as strokes, blood clots, cancer of the uterus and breasts, etc. Therefore, consult your doctor and see if the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks associated with it. If yes, then take the treatment to manage diabetes and menopause better. 

Manage Your Weight:

Menopause can trigger metabolic activities in the body and cause weight gain, which can worsen your diabetes management. Therefore, adjust your diet plan and exercise routine to match the new requirements of your body and control your body weight.

Look Out For UTI Symptoms:

Menopause with diabetes increases the risk of getting urinary tract infections. If you experience any symptoms, such as burning sensation while peeing, frequent urination, foul-smelling urine, etc., consult a doctor and get tested. You can easily treat your UTIs with an antibiotic. 

Boost Your Bone Health:

Diabetes can also cause many bone-related problems in women, which are further exasperated by menopause. Therefore, it is very important to strengthen your bones and joints by adding calcium and vitamin D supplements to your diet.

Takeaway

Dealing with menopause while having diabetes can become very challenging. Menopause can cause fluctuations in blood sugar levels and increase the risk of many diabetes complications such as weight gain, heart diseases, UTIs, etc. Therefore, it is very important to regulate your blood glucose levels and treat your menopausal symptoms to manage these two problems together.

References:

1. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/menopause-and-diabetes.html
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/diabetes/art-20044312
3. https://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/menopause-type-2-diabetes#menopause-and-diabetes
4. https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopauseflashes/bone-health-and-heart-health/diabetes-hits-women-hard-at-menopause-beat-it-back
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29938620/