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If you have a menstrual cycle, do you notice changes in your insulin sensitivity throughout the month?
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I have all the information, but have not paid attention.
N/A. I’m male.
Yes I used to have to reduce my insulin immediately prior to mental cycle, for a couple.of days or I would have constant lows
The changes aren’t to my sensitivity. They’re changes to my insulin intake due to food intake. I get cravings, “munchies” and tend to eat more the week before my cycle starts. The occasional craving doesn’t effect my “regular” eating schedule or pattern like when I’m PMS-ing for sure.
I am now past menopause, but each cycle would spike my glucose through the roof. I don’t think it was any additional “munching” that did it, just hormones. My husband used to say “the whores are moaning”
I think Hormones or lack of Hormones affect sugar levels significantly. I was going through menopause when I was diagnosed with LADA at the age of 49. The OB-GYN put me on birth control pills and I couldn’t get through the first month of pills. Vision got blurry and symptoms were pronounced for diabetes. I always wonder if I could have prevented this onset. Too late now, I am now into my 24th year on insulin, and today is my 73rd birthday. We can only go forward 1 day at a time! Men also have hormones but I cannot speak from their vantage point.
To a SHOCKING degree!
I’m past menopause but didn’t notice much of an effect on my blood sugars when I was menstruations. Then again, there wasn’t the technology then as there is more, so who knows?
I used to have low sugars the day before, elevated sugars for the few days it lasted, then dramatically low sugars just after.
I no longer have a menstrual cycle as I have a hysterectomy in 2013. However, I started having significant changes in blood sugars and insulin sensitivity/resistance related to the cycle starting in 2009-2019. The only thing we could conclude that caused these changes was fluctuating hormone levels related to changes in approach to age 40. Because of all of this, I had to discontinue long acting insulin and is started insulin pump & CGM therapy.
Yes, for sure. Although I have a semi-closed loop pump system I still have 4 basal rate profiles in my pump that I switch to during the month. Ovulation: During ovulation I require increased basal/bonus rate in the AM only. PMS: increased basal/bolus rate for 24 hrs up to 7 days before menstruation. AMC: after my menstruation stops my rates drop significantly for 1 day. Regular: all other times. I have found this subject to be missing in data and help throughout my 23 years with DM. I’d love to see more help/instruction to women with DM. I’m entering peri menopause and I have no clue how all this will change. I will just need to keep figuring it out as I go. Unless the closed loop system will anticipate all this.
Yes, big BG differences with my menstrual cycle. Usually run high the week before my period starts. Sometimes low when it concludes. Though the pattern is not as predictable now on my 40s. I used to have a higher basal rate pattern setting on my pump that I would switch to the week before. A few years ago, I had 2 severe low BGs overnight as my period concluded, which prompted me to start using a CGM again. I’ve had trouble working out basal rate adjustments at this time of the month using automode on my Medtronic 670g. My CDE recently advised exiting automode at this time of the month, as the insulin delivery predictions are based on a running 6-day average. In other words, my pump won’t be able to learn that I need more insulin the week before my period until it’s too late and then the delayed increase in my basal insulin could set me up for lows. That makes sense. Will be giving manual mode a try with my next period.
I really don’t notice a difference although I have that day or two every month where I’m cranky and hungry all day? That certainly ups the insulin needs. I was diagnosed at almost 40 so maybe that makes a difference?