Diabetes in Women
I am 36 years old with two kids. In both my pregnancies I was detected with gestational diabetes. I was under the assumption that this is just going to be a phase and post 9 months I will be fit. And In fact, after my first delivery, I was back to normal with no sugar problems. Then came my second delivery and post that as well I was normal. Until last month’s blood tests in which I was detected with Type 2 diabetes. Upon meeting the doctor, I got to know there are 80% chances for a woman to get type 2 diabetes if she had gestational diabetes. It’s been a phase of learning, practice, self-discipline and so much more to control my sugar levels in past one month.
Through this post, I wish to share few important things with my women’s tribe. I will be sharing reasons why women become diabetic and ways to work upon it.
So, what is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a lifestyle disorder in which the body’s ability to process glucose gets affected. Glucose is an important ingredient in your body for overall good health. It gives energy to the brain, muscles, and other cells. And without the right amount f glucose, the body doesn’t function properly and we get diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes can majorly be found in people under the age of 40. Mainly young adults and kids. In this, the body can’t produce insulin. However, with accurate treatment and a good lifestyle one can lead a healthy life.
Type 2 Diabetes
This is the most common form of Diabetes. General risk of getting this increases as you age. Mainly post 45 the chances are high. However, in women, the chances get higher with gestational diabetes during pregnancies. Other few reasons for Type 2 diabetes are genetics, bad lifestyle habits, obesity, and high blood pressure.
Let’s deep dive and see how women get affected by Diabetes, what are the symptoms and how they can treat it with some changes in lifestyle at the initial stages. Most of the time course of action for a diabetic patient would depend on the level of blood sugar. This post is a generic one and just to share some basics of diabetes in women.
* Medical Advice is a must in every situation.
Symptoms of Diabetes in Women
Most of the diabetes symptoms are common in men and women. However, few symptoms may vary in both. Here are the few symptoms that are unique to women alone.
- Persistent vaginal yeast infections– Itching, Soreness, increased vaginal discharge, and painful sex are some of the things you may face
- Urinary infection– It’s common and higher in women with diabetes. This causes painful urination, burning sensation, and bloody or cloudy urine
- PCOD- I am personally suffering from PCOD due to increased sugar levels in the body. Irregular periods, sudden weight gain, depression, and infertility are also some of the common symptoms faced by women in general.
Other general symptoms common between men and women
- Increased thirst and hunger
- Frequent urination
- Weight loss and gain suddenly
- Tiredness and fatigue
- Skin rashes and infections
- Wounds that don’t heal easily
Who is at the risk of developing Diabetes?
- Age over 45. Due to lifestyle disorders, even the younger population is getting affected.
- Obesity
- Family history of diabetes
- Had gestational diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Increased cholesterol
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Unhealthy eating habits
- Suffering from PCOD/ PCOS
- History of heart disease
Here are few lifestyle changes that can help lead a normal life.
- Regular exercise for 45mins to 1 hour
- Avoiding smoking and alcohol
- Adopt healthy eating habits and avoid too much sweet and sugar
- Monitoring blood sugar at regular intervals
- Eat food full of nutrition and less sugar like broccoli, sage, peas, and fenugreek seeds
It’s always advisable to consult a doctor before starting any kind of treatment. If you are making dietary changes then do it post consulting a dietician. Diabetes is one disease that needs to be closely monitored by expert and specialist doctors. Do not experiment with any kind of medicine do consult a doctor and then decide the future course of action.
You can incorporate lifestyle changes as suggested above to lead a comparatively better life. Diabetes in Women is quite common these days. A variety of medications, few lifestyle changes, and alternative remedies can help manage symptoms and improve overall health.
Read more on women wellness here
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Diabetes is becoming very common these days. It is always good to have proper information in order to control it. I have seen people having diabetes handling it pretty well because they educated themselves and took necessary steps well in time. Your post gives all the necessary information regarding diabetes in women.
I am a diabetic and now this is my post thank you for sharing the complete details definitely going to save the post.
Yes nowadays diabetes is so common, even it is happening in young kids. I believe maintaining a healthy lifestyle including healthy diet and regular exercise can play a big role in prevention and management of this disease.
This post is so informative and busts a lot of myths and mistakenly prevalent beliefs. Thank you for sharing it with your readers.
Diabetes is a lifestyle disease and once you get it you need to have disciplined lifestyle and you can live with it. One need to have regular check ups as a women we keep ignoring our health..so take yourself seriously.
Diabetes is taken lightly can be very risky and one should definitely keep their diet, meds and health in check. I will share your informative blog with concerned people in the extended family.
I’ve seen my mother in law suffer bcoz of her diabetes and now my sister in law too. It’s a very troublesome issue and can affect life gravely if not taken care from the start.
Helpful article, good to see clearly the symptoms and become aware of them so that we can be conscious and take remedial steps just as these start up.
Women ned to have regular checkups after 40 , which is lacking in most of them. I too had gestational diabetes, so I am very watchful to all these symptoms. Thanks for the informative post and making us to ponder on our health.
This is so real. Women tend to ignore their health a lot that lifestyle diseases won’t be recognised till it is too late. Much helpful post.
Thanks Rakhi for sharing service ch detailed post on Diabetes. These days it is very common disease. We should know about all these facts .
This is such a brilliant and informative article. Diabetes symptoms in women are easy to observe but we don’t often take them seriously. With good lifestyle we can avoid medication and lead a healthy life.
This is a helpful post. i know that some of us are experiencing these symptom but have NOT paid attention to them in totality or understood that it can have a bigger repercussion! definitely going to pay attention now.
Diabetes is a growing concern in India. I had no idea about the link between diabetes and urinary tract infections and pcod.
My mom is diabetic and this article has helped so much in understanding this condition so much better. Thank you for sharing and doing this kind of research before posting.
Ladies ignore their health a lot, I am glad you not only shared the symptoms, but it is equally important to know both types of diabetes and get it treated!!
I am coming across lots of early diabetic cases in my family, this article is going to be super helpful for the women in my family. sharing this with family
Thank you for sharing such an informative post Rakhi. Diabetes in women can be very dangerous and the sad part is that women are not aware that they could be diabetic!
I dont have a family history of diabetes. I am 58 and I suffer from clinical depression. In January this year my BP and sugar shot up. My BP is normal now. Could the sugar be due to the depression?. I haven’t checked sugar recently actually
This is so important for women. Lifestyle changes always help in these cases. You have mentioned some good pointers.
This pandemic has changed perspective for many, health has become a priority for people today and everyone seeks healthier options. Diabetes is something that risks life during such virus attacks. This is a very informative post.
Diabetes is becoming a common disease these days amongst women, sadly they tend to ignore their health. Your post is quite informative and a helpful one.
Diabetes is a prevalent health condition that has a serious impact if not taken care of. Thanks for simplifying the details about Diabetes.
Regular checkups is the best way to know about your health, but in this pandemic I am even getting gossebumps to have a test , shall book an appointment as I also had gestational diabetes . You are so right that few lifestyle changes can make us a fit and healthy person.
I really enriched myself by reading this post buddy which is thorough and informative and a must read for every woman.
I’ve many family members from my inlaws side who suffered and are suffering a lot from diabetes. It’s an illness which deteriorates one from inside and so taking good care of the body and mind to deal with is the right way.
This is indeed a very insightful post Rakhi. I agree that for a healthy lifestyle all it takes are small tweaks like exercising frequently, being mindful of what we are eating, walking and so on. We women, especially need to mindful of what we eat because most often, we are the ones consuming the leftovers and end up eating excess at night.
We ladies always ignore our health somewhere . Thanks that you have shared the symptoms as well as precautions..
This is a helpful post. we have been looking up information on this, and found your article to be well written and informative. thank you for sharing.