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. Based on recently announced diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes, it is estimated that gestational diabetes develops in 18 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.
Pregnant Women
If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes before getting pregnant, you can have a relatively normal pregnancy and give birth to a healthy baby.
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.