Can Menopause Cause Diabetes?

The onset of menopause can be disconcerting, but if a woman has diabetes, the physiological effects can be twice as serious because both conditions rely on the endocrine system.  The change in your blood sugar level is related to the decrease in estrogen production, and some have proposed that the changes that occur when estrogen decreases can lead to diabetes.  All women will experience menopause at some point in their 40’s or 50’s but the degree of their symptoms will vary greatly.  Most will have hot flashes and night sweats, but also weight gain, mood swings, vaginal dryness and urinary incontinence.  Nevertheless, if menopause and diabetes are linked, it is important to understand this point of view.

Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to good health.  In menopause, it is very common to have your sleep disrupted, which will cause your blood sugar to rise. Night sweats are usually the culprit here, where a woman will awake in the middle of the night drenched in sweat.  This is due to the body’s inability to regulate temperature properly.   In addition, menopause may also cause you to gain a few extra pounds, which also contributes to a rise in blood sugar.  These two factors alone can put one at higher risk for diabetes or exacerbate the condition.  Menopause can also wreak havoc on your blood sugar, so if you are diabetic, some adjustments may need to be made to your medication to control the condition.

A study was conducted over the course of four years with a group of postmenopausal women.  Blood flow measured along with a measurement of how their blood vessels functioned.  The women had gotten their blood drawn twice per year along with an annual physical.  The most notable fact about this study was that none of the women who participated had been diagnosed with diabetes at the outset; however a few had developed it over the course of the study.  The reality was that there was a marked change in the way their blood flowed.  This controversial result has prompted further studies since one can obviously conclude that the hormonal changes of menopause caused the diabetes in some women.   Of course, more studies are needed to confirm this theory, but it certainly gives pause to middle aged women and indicates that attention must be paid to a woman’s health during this time of her life.

There is something one can do to improve the chances of a long and healthy life.  Some simple adjustments to diet and exercise are essential because if left unchecked, the diabetic woman will very likely develop some very serious consequences such as heart disease and stroke. Regular visits with her doctor , such as every six months to monitor both blood glucose and hormone levels, are recommended along with a healthy diet of whole foods, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and beans and at least thirty minutes a day of aerobic exercise.  Plenty of water is also recommended to encourage motility of the colon.