Menopause and Diabetes

Menopause and diabetes can cause hormonal flucuations that will knock your system out of whack. When you make less progesterone, chances are you will be more sensitive to your insulin. With less estrogen though, you may on the other hand experience increased insulin resistance. The lack of these two hormones can cause other blood chemistry changes in your system, and magnify complications you may already have. A lower estrogen level will raise the risks of heart disease. And the chance of heart disease for a woman with diabetes is already high anyhow.

A lot of women do put on serious weight at this time, and don't exercise or become active. This further promotes more blood sugar problems than you as a diabetic woman already have.

With menopause and diabetes, it is very important to plan a healthy-eating diet, take some calcium supplements, and try to walk every day. Watching your weight and taking the proper vitamins, and keeping a healthy cholesterol level, will decrease your chances of osteoperosis as you get older.

Hormone replacement is vitally important to reduce other medical problems such as hot flashes, risks of osteoperosis, and vaginitis. If you still have a uterus, a form of progesterone along with some estrogen therapy could be very beneficial. There have been in the past, studies that hormone replacement therapy increases the risks of getting breast cancers. But then a post-menopausal women's risk of dying with cardiovascular disease is far greater. Talk to your doctor about whether or not this is right for you.

Postmenopausal diabetic women run a higher risk of yeast infections. When your estrogen levels decrease, the yeast and bacterias grow more rapidly, all the moreso with rising glucose levels. A few thoughts for preventing vaginitis are to: Keep your blood sugar in safe ranges

Take regular baths and keep the vaginal area clean.

Talk to your doctor about hormone replacement therapy.

Try eating yogurts that are lowfat containing Aactive cultures daily. Many studies have shown some evidence that yogurt bacteria can help put a stop to the growth of yeast in the digestive tract, putting an end to vaginitis.