Women and Diabetes

Ericka Lloyd
HSC4579
Women's Health
April 15, 2015

Women and Diabetes

World Health Organization- Type II
Diabetes Mellitus is a disease in which
the bodys blood glucose (sugar) rises
to higher than normal levels, after food
is consumed. It occurs when the
pancreas loses its ability to produce
normal amounts of insulin in order to
counteract the increase in glucose
and regulate blood sugar levels.

Type I- Juvenile disease,

affects children

Type II- onset is in young

adults (20yro) and older
adults

Women and Diabetes

Symptoms- frequent
urination, increase thirst,
extreme fatigue, blurry
vision, wounds exceed
normal healing time,
weight loss, and
numbness in hands and
feet (neuropathy).

Risk Factors- being

overweight, lack of
exercise (inactivity),
family history, age,
and race (more
prevalent in African
American, Hispaniclatino, and AmericanIndian)

Women and Diabetes

Menstrual cycle can

become irregular

Being on birth control

also can raise the risk of
type II

During pregnancy
women are likely to
develop gestational
diabetes.

Hormones are disrupted

and further lowers blood
sugar functioning
Vaginal dryness/sexual
dysfunction

Women and Diabetes

CDC

13.4 million women diagnosed with

diabetes
Death rates for women aged 25-44 years
with diabetes are more than 3 times the
rate for women without diabetes

Women and Diabetes

Healthy People 2010

screening is essential to the early detection and to identify people with

undiagnosed diabetes

Accumulating data from follow-up studies to the Diabetes Control and

Complications Trial (DCCT) and United Kingdom Prospective
Diabetes Study (UKPDS) show the long-term benefits of early,
intensive intervention in diabetes treatment to prevent or delay
complications
Also, recently-released data from the Diabetes Prevention Program
Outcomes Study (DPPOS) prove that long-term (10-year), significant
reductions in onset, or delay of onset, of type 2 diabetes can be
obtained among people with pre-diabetes.

Women and Diabetes

Pregnancy

Prep: blood test called the glycosylated hemoglobin test (HbA1c) can help
evaluate how well your diabetes has been controlled over the past eight to 12
weeks

BSC: High blood sugar levels early in the pregnancy (before 13 weeks) can cause birth
defects.They also can increase the risks of miscarriage and diabetes-related
complications.
Defects: A common problem among the babies of pregnant women with diabetes is a
condition called "macrosomia," which means "large body." This occurs because many of
these babies receive too much sugar via the placenta because mothers have high blood
sugar

http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/pregnancy-diabetes-and-pregnancy#1

Women and Diabetes

Pregnancy Cont'd

Medications: Generally, your body will require more insulin during pregnancy,
especially during the last three months.
Diet: Your meal plan will also be adjusted to include more calories for your
growing baby
Term: providers prefer to plan for an early delivery, usually around weeks 3839.
Labor: Blood sugar control remains important even during labor, which can be
a stressful time for the mother and the baby. If you have been taking insulin
during your pregnancy, you may be given insulin by injection or intravenously
when labor begins. Insulin requirements often drop rapidly immediately after
delivery
http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/pregnancy-diabetes-and-pregnancy#1

Women and Diabetes

National Programs and Resources

National Kidney Foundation

fundraisers

American Diabetes Association

Grants and Federal Funding

Diabetes Sisters
Fundraising and volunteers