Diabetes and The Menopause
You could be thinking “What’s the connection between diabetes and the menopause?”
Well, for ladies reaching that certain age, it can be extremely traumatic – principally when a couple of of the effects experienced can simply be mistaken for those we have to be accustomed to when handling our diabetes…
For a diabetic taking prescription, keeping blood sugars at the correct level is a balancing act. If sugar levels drop too low, as a result of not eating sufficient or at the correct times, you undergo a hypoglycemia episode (sometimes called ‘hypo’ for short). For me, this generally manifests itself as shaking; irritability; sweating and a faint-headed feeling.
If you are diabetic and have ever had low-blood sugar you may identify some of these manifestations, amongst others. A rapid ‘glucose fix’ generally settles it within 5-10 minutes.
Now, compare that to a couple of of the manifestations of beginning the menopause; hot flushes [I call them ‘power-surges’ ;)] – just like the sweats of a hypo; mood swings – akin to the irritability you might experience throughout a hypo. It’s very simple to confuse the manifestations you are feeling.
When I first started the menopause, I commonly confused waking at 2 a.m. in the morning in a cold sweat as a hypo and took a rapid sugar jumpstart to settle myself. That pushed my blood sugar levels up when I did not need it. Not a good idea!
It was only after giving a visit to my physician to discuss about these usual, unintended hypos I identified I was beginning the menopause (I was in my late 40s, so it was rather unintended, mostly it does not occur until early-to-mid 50s).
If you are a lady, with diabetes controlled by prescription, and you are in your early 50s and you embark having usual, unexplained hypos – verify your sugar levels before ‘treating the condition’. And get your physician to verify your manifestations. You could be confusing manifestations of diabetes and the menopause.
And guys; if your lady mostly has marvelous control of her diabetes and rapidly seems to be showing the same manifestations when she was getting her diabetes into balance (if you knew her then) please be supportive and understanding, she’s undergoing one hell of an experience, but I promise, she will come by ways of and be her common, loving and charming self once again.
