Diabetes and Women

Of all of the people who have diabetes in the United States, approximately 9.1 million of them are women. Women who suffer from diabetes have all of the same health concerns that men have, with a few additional health concerns thrown in for good measure.

Diabetic women are more prone to vaginal infections, and of course, diabetes does have an impact on pregnancy. Furthermore, women who have diabetes are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease than men who have diabetes. Diabetic women also have a greater chance of developing diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, which can cause a coma.

During pregnancy, a diabetic woman is at a much higher risk of developing toxemia. In fact, she is five times more likely to develop this than a woman who is not diabetic. Other concerns are having children with a high weight, and developing high blood pressure during the pregnancy.

The use of birth control pills is also affected by diabetes. This is because birth control pills can actually affect your blood sugar levels. Many diabetic women realize this, and opt for intrauterine devices, or IUDs; but this is also a problem because they can lead to infections, which are harder to combat when you have diabetes.

If you are a woman with diabetes, make sure that you educate yourself concerning the condition. Know what to expect, and how to manage your condition. Also, make sure that you have a knowledgeable medical team to help in the treatment of your diabetes. Make sure that your doctor is someone that you feel comfortable talking to.

Try to avoid any unplanned pregnancies. Diabetes is hard on the body -- and so is pregnancy. If you plan your pregnancy, and discuss it with your doctor, he or she can help you to get your body better prepared to handle the pregnancy, and you will find that you have fewer complications.