DRWF Women and Diabetes interviews: Managing diabetes around the menstruation cycle can lead to “rollercoasters that are very hard to get out of” – panel discussion

For the first of two panel discussions, we invited guests to talk about living with diabetes and the different stages of women's lives. 

Vanessa Haydock, a body trainer and coach living with type 1 diabetes: “When it comes to type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, no matter what diabetes it is, especially for us ladies, there is so much that we have to deal with, on top of everything else. When it comes to diabetes and hormonal fluctuations, the menstrual cycle, perimenopause, menopause, unfortunately, all of those things can have such a significant impact on our management of our diabetes to the point where we can do everything right but feel like we are still getting it wrong. I know that the research is lacking a lot with female health and diabetes control especially.

“When I, when I was growing up, I was never taught anything about the menstrual cycle and type 1 diabetes. It was only through my own research that I learned more and learned how it all worked, and I didn't realise I had to adapt my insulin depending on where I was on my cycle. I think there needs to be more awareness and education around that, especially for young teenage girls who have got type 1 diabetes and how to manage that later in life.

Greta Ehlers, who is living with type 1 diabetes and is a big advocate for encouraging technology innovation in diabetes management to make it less intrusive: “There is a big gap in research when it comes to men versus women. Historically, there were a lot of men in clinical trials because women are more complicated and come with more risks because of hormonal fluctuations and all of that. We have not always been included in that regard.

“I did my own research. I had already managed menstruation and diabetes for about ten years without knowing why. If you are very insulin resistant and you programme your pump to inject more, then a day later, suddenly you are in constant hypos (hypoglycaemia, low blood glucose) because your menstrual cycle has changed and you don't know why. It's very confusing. It leads to all these rollercoasters that are very hard to get out of. What we forget in this conversation is that not everybody has access to that kind of research or can do that kind of research. It should not be on them to read up on their own.”

Dawn Adams, a midwife living with type 1 diabetes, who experienced issues of early symptoms of menopause: “I think it is about trying to manage what you can with the resources you have, with the bandwidth that you have available. There are days when that best for you is going to be 100%. There are other days when the best you can possibly give your diabetes is 5%, because of where you are at in your own life, hectic activities, everything that is going on.

“There is a fear of having UTIs (urinary tract infections) because antibiotics also impact your glucose levels. It is not just that if your glucose levels are not where you would like them to be for whatever reason, because there are so many reasons why you can have a UTI, it is knowing that if you have one it is going to cause a change to your glucose levels. Antibiotics to fix the UTI are also going to change your glucose levels. It is a horrible, vicious cycle that you cannot seem to get out of. You are always working to try and maintain optimal health as much as you can because of the consequences of other things being added in. Cures for something like a UTI don't just come as a cure and everything's fixed. You have a lot of other work that goes on in the background. If you then have a period in the middle of your UTI, that is another factor that you are having to deal with and cope with.”