By Martha J Zimmer
A diabetic in menopause is a woman with two problems. Both are endocrine reactions, but one is a natural process of aging. Estrogen and progesterone, the two hormones whose actions bring on menopause, can be expected to disturb other hormone systems for a while, and the hormone called insulin is not exempt from that.
One problem is weight gain. We are often told that during and after menopause we might expect to gain a few pounds. That will naturally affect our diabetes control. We are also warned about sleep disturbance, and we know that poor sleep raises blood sugar levels.
Because of the changes in hormone levels our bodies are not as protected against yeast infections as they were before. That's not good news for a diabetic, since we fight fungal and bacterial infections already as a side effect of hyperglycemia.
A Myth About Being Diabetic In Menopause
Some women worry that going into menopause will increase their risk of having diabetes. Research says it is not true. Some women do gain weight during and after menopause, but that could just be a part of the aging process, since men also gain weight as they age.
The same risks that go with the metabolic syndrome apply at any age, and if you become more sedentary during menopause and lose muscle mass, your chance of developing diabetes does rise. Also, the risk of developing diabetes grows when we hit 45.
One thing is true - if you already have type 2 diabetes, menopause will affect your blood sugar levels. The endocrine changes can cause your blood sugar to be more difficult to control while your body changes. Being aware of that will help. As a diabetic in menopause you'll be less stressed about the ups and downs in your glucose monitor readings, and lower stress will help your blood sugar control.
What a Type 2 Diabetic Woman Can Do To Make Life Easier During Menopause
Urinary tract and vaginal infections are a problem for a diabetic woman, but there is a remedy. After extensive research it has been proven that there is something in cranberries that gives them a natural ability to fight urinary tract infections, something that keeps bacteria from being able to attach to the vaginal and urinary tract walls in women.
So the benefits of cranberry juice are not just an old wives' tale. Cranberry juice, dried cranberries or cranberry pills added to your diet every day will help your body stop the recurrent infections. For a diabetic in menopause that is welcome news, because the hormone changes of menopause increase vaginal and urinary tract infections.
Exercise
The weight gain that often is associated with menopause has a cure too. It's no big secret that exercise fights weight gain. Staying active takes effort for those of us who are habitually sedentary. But for a diabetic in menopause it has to become a priority. If you find a way to be active for at least an hour a day you'll keep off the pounds. If you need help doing that, there are some great ideas for staying active on the diabetic life exercise page.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep disturbance is a common complaint among menopausal women. Since diabetics whose blood sugar is not well controlled also have problems with this, it's a good idea to know what you can do about it.
Lower your stress level. Make sure you exercise, but nothing strenuous right before bedtime. Don't drink caffeine or alcohol before bed either. Some people think alcohol helps sleep onset, but sleep doctors say that alcohol is actually a stimulant that will make it harder to sustain sleep all night.
A walk outside in the sunlight in the morning will make it easier to go to sleep at night. Sunlight sets your biological clock. And there are many other natural things you can do to help you sleep. It would be healthier to try some before you resort to medications to aid sleep.
Some of the stress a type 2 diabetic in menopause must face comes from sexual dysfunction. Vaginal dryness, loss of sensation, these can be a result of long-term diabetic complications of peripheral and autonomic neuropathy. They are also part of the estrogen changes in menopause.
Your gynecologist will help you with these issues. You need to be willing to talk about them so the effects of stress and depression do not worsen your diabetic condition. So much more is understood about these problems than there was in the past. You have no idea what they might be able to do for you unless you ask.
If you are a diabetic in menopause and you know what to expect, the blood sugar changes, yeast infections, sleep disturbance and female problems will not surprise and overwhelm you. And you'll know what you can do about them.
No matter what you are going through it's good to remember that there are still things to accomplish and people to care about. You are not defined by what happens to you, but by what you choose to do. You're a human being and you won't get everything right, but you'll be trying. And even the smallest victories deserve to be celebrated.
Martha Zimmer invites you to visit her website and learn more about type 2 diabetes, its complications and how you can deal with them, as well as great tips for eating healthy that will make living with diabetes less painful.
Go to http://www.a-diabetic-life.com and find out what you can do to avoid many of the pitfalls of this life-changing condition, like paying for cures that don't work and spending money for things you could have gotten free. Martha has made the mistakes and done the research so you don't have to.
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