The first signs of diabetes in women

Many scientific minds involved in medical research consider diabetes to be a real scourge of the 21st century. If a couple of decades ago this pathology was also encountered quite often, then in the current period it has found all the signs of an epidemic of a global scale. This sad fact is confirmed by statistics. And another feature of this endocrine pathology is that the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity are more susceptible to disease. Although men also suffer from diabetes, the number of cases among them is much smaller than in women.

If we take the female part of the population separately, then diabetes is diagnosed mainly in middle-aged women. Let's try to figure out what this negative trend is associated with and what contributes to the development of the disease in the fairer sex.

Provocative factors

It is no accident that the lack of insulin production, which translates into serious pathological manifestations on the part of the body, is called a “sugar” disease. This term best describes the mechanism of changes. Unfortunately, women are more prone to overweight than men. Improper nutrition, carbohydrate-rich foods all result in obesity.

Extra kilograms are especially actively accumulated during menopause. For this reason, diabetes most often develops in women of mature age. This feature is explained by the fact that in the menopause, the woman’s body undergoes serious changes associated with the restructuring of hormonal functions. If women of reproductive age have a hormonal balance, then with the onset of menopause, the production of estrogen abruptly decreases. The secretion of other hormones is also reduced.

Another period associated with risk is pregnancy. But the time of gestation is also associated with hormonal changes. The expectant mother is actively gaining weight, and this necessarily leads to an imbalance in her body. Therefore, the risks of developing diabetes in pregnant women are incredibly high. This form of diabetes in medicine is called histological or diabetes of pregnant women.

The first signs of diabetes in women

Every woman is obliged to carefully monitor her health. This requirement is due to the fact that pathologies often occur in the first stages in a latent, that is, in a latent form. This is also characteristic of diabetes. Therefore, it is so important to timely recognize and take all measures for its localization.

With different types of diabetes, distinctive symptoms are observed. There are also differences in the speed of the process.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes in women from 40 to 50

As a rule, type 2 diabetes is detected in women quite by accident during a routine examination or in preparation for surgery. These measures involve an in-depth examination, which results in the diagnosis of diabetes. Mostly, mature women from 40 to 60 years old fall into this group, although over the past decade, type 2 diabetes has become much younger.

At this age, the woman’s body becomes very vulnerable, the protective functions weaken, and there is no resource to compensate for them. Therefore, by the time when the first signs clearly indicate themselves, the pathological process develops along an increasing curve, often supplemented by complications. That is, a woman can not even guess for years that she has diabetes.

If we talk about the first manifestations of type 2 diabetes, then this:

• constant thirst;
• a feeling of dry mouth;
• rapid weight gain or, on the contrary, sharp weight loss;
• frequent urination
• decreased performance;
• general weakness;
• dry skin
• decreased visual acuity;
• itchy skin and manifestations on the surface of the skin in the form of acne, dermatitis;
• menstrual irregularities.

There is another specific symptom that every woman should pay close attention to - the appearance of thrush. Candidiasis is usually a companion to diabetes in women. Therefore, a woman should be wary if there are such unpleasant symptoms from the genitals:

• intolerable itching;
• white, curdled discharge with a characteristic odor;
• discomfort in the perineum, there may be redness and pain in the vulva.

These extremely unpleasant signs make a woman go to an appointment with a gynecologist. But, unfortunately, this specialist usually prescribes treatment according to his profile, not recommending the patient to undergo an in-depth comprehensive examination.

Candidiasis in women is generally a separate, but very important topic. This pathology develops when the balance of the genital environment is disturbed. The causative agent of the disease is a fungus, and these microorganisms like to live in an alkaline environment. Sweet environment is favorable for their development and reproduction. Often, women take months to treat thrush, and the disease returns again. With such a recurrent course, you should always suspect the presence of diabetes. When the sugar index normalizes, thrush usually disappears without a trace.

Therefore, any woman of adulthood, with the appearance of all the listed symptoms, should take the initiative herself and ask her to write out a direction for determining blood sugar levels. This is especially true for women with weight problems.

Symptoms in women with the first type of diabetes

This form is more often observed in young women under 30 years of age, although it is possible that mature women may suffer from this type. In children, this form of diabetes is also recorded. This type of diabetes differs from the previous one in that it is easier to diagnose. When a pancreatic malfunction begins, negative symptoms immediately appear. The fact is that the first type is characterized by an almost complete cessation of insulin production. Such a deficiency of an important hormone immediately leads to decompensation phenomena. But if you maintain sugar at a normal level, then you can prevent the development of complications of the disease with this form of diabetes.

The clinical picture is reduced to the manifestation of such symptoms:

• intense thirst;
• dry mouth
• frequent urination;
• sharp loss of body weight;
• increased appetite;
• dermatitis and other skin manifestations;
• painful appearance;
• smell of acetone from the mouth;
• irregular periods.

Sometimes the disease is so rapid that a coma develops and the patient is taken to the intensive care unit on emergency. This condition is called ketoacidosis. If, with such a development of events, emergency measures are not taken, a woman may die.

The clinic of this life-threatening condition consists of reinforcing all of the above symptoms, to which intense abdominal pain, vomiting, and upset stool are added. Acetone is a powerful toxin, and therefore it poisons the body. With ketoacidosis, seconds decide everything. But, if these seconds are missed, then even the most experienced doctor will be powerless in such a situation.

Diabetes in pregnant women

Gestational diabetes is usually recognized on time, because every woman in a position is required to regularly take tests, including blood for sugar. The peak of insulin resistance during gestation is considered to be 2 trimester.If a woman is undergoing intensive weight gain, or has other indications, she is recommended to perform a glucose tolerance test. The diabetes of pregnant women is more similar in its mechanism to the second type of diabetes. Very rarely observed type 1. The high-risk group includes pregnant women who have:

• age over 40;
• the family has sick diabetics;
• was overweight or obese before pregnancy;
• earlier children with a large weight (more than 4.5 kg) were born;
• there were cases of stillbirth;
• long smoking history.

If at least one item from the list above has a place to be, you must definitely do a glucose test. Typically, this procedure is carried out at 25-37 weeks of gestation.

Latent diabetes: symptoms

Perhaps, in relation to a specific disease, the term “hidden” does not sound correctly, but in medicine such a concept exists. Latent forms always occur against the background of apparent prosperity, and occasionally weak signs of malaise can be noted. It is such a sluggish process that is a serious signal that indicates that not everything is in order in the body.

Even in the absence of obvious signs, many women complain of rapid fatigue, a constant feeling of hunger, and intense thirst. Often there is a short-term darkening in the eyes. These episodes should be taken seriously, because they are a harbinger of hypoglycemia - falling sugar levels. As a rule, diabetics themselves eliminate this condition, realizing intuitively that they need to eat something sweet. A slice of sugar, a slice of chocolate usually balances the condition.

Episodes of hypoglycemia are just the harbingers of the disease. They occur long before the appearance of the first external signs. If such signals are given by the body of full persons or it is alarming to a lady of advanced years, it is urgent to undergo a full examination. Young women with excellent appetite should also consult an endocrinologist.

What are the consequences of diabetes?

In addition to this important area of ​​the female body, diabetes has a negative effect on the circulatory system, affects vision, and often leads to complete blindness. Often the result of diabetes is kidney disease. In about seven out of a dozen cases, diabetes is complicated by nephropathy. With diabetes, many metabolic processes are disrupted, and infectious diseases proceed long and hard. Nervous disorders always accompany diabetes.

The risk of complications increases at times if the patient does not follow the recommendation of a doctor and neglects the rules, which should become the standard of life of a diabetic. Women should listen to their body and not ignore the signals that it gives.

Video: diabetes symptoms