Living with Diabetes
Women
Diabetes can be especially hard on women. The burden of diabetes on women is unique because the disease can affect both mothers and their unborn children. Diabetes can cause difficulties during pregnancy such as a miscarriage or a baby born with birth defects. Women with diabetes are also more likely to have a heart attack, and at a younger age, than women without diabetes.
For women who do not currently have diabetes, pregnancy brings the risk of gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes develops in 2 – 5 percent of all pregnancies but disappears when a pregnancy is over. Women who have had gestational diabetes or have given birth to a baby weighting more than 9 pounds are at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
The prevalence of diabetes is at least 2 – 4 times higher among African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, and Asian/Pacific Islander women than among white women. The risk for diabetes also increases with age. Because of the increasing lifespan of women and the rapid growth of minority populations, the number of women in the United States at high risk for diabetes and its complications is increasing.
Coronary Heart Disease
One in three women will die of heart disease compared to one in nine women dying of breast cancer.
Depression
Women experience depression about twice as often as men. The risk of depression increases in women with diabetes.
Sexual Health
Some women with diabetes have less interest in sex because of depression or levels can make some women feel tired all the time.
Women and Diabetes: Frequently Asked Questions
Find out more about the issues related to women and diabetes.
Eating Disorders
Research suggests that eating disorders are probably more common among women with diabetes than women who do not have diabetes.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Because many women with PCOS also have diabetes, studies are examining the relationship between PCOS and the body's ability to produce insulin.
