Menopause can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes due to hormonal changes that impact insulin sensitivity and often lead to weight gain. During menopause, estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate, which affects how the body metabolizes glucose. Studies show this hormonal transition period may cause difficulties managing diabetes. Additionally, weight gain brought on by hormonal imbalances can worsen insulin resistance. As a result, many women are first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during or after menopause. Managing diabetes risk requires lifestyle changes like healthy eating, exercise, and weight control to maintain optimal blood sugar levels and hormone balance through menopause.

1. MENOPAUSE AND DIABETES TYPE 2
Menopause and Diabetes Type 2
Maria S. Jimenez
Alvernia University

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Diabetes Type 2 is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar
(glucose), your body’s main source of fuel. With type 2 diabetes, your body either resists the
effects of insulin or doesn’t produce enough insulin to maintain a normal glucose level (Mayo
Clinic, 2013). Studies show that if untreated, type 2 diabetes can be life-threatening. Diabetes
affects many major organs, including your heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes, and kidneys (Mayo
Clinic, 2013). There is no cure for diabetes type 2, but you can manage the condition by eating
well, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight. If diet and exercise don’t control your blood
sugar, you may need diabetes medications or insulin therapy.
Menopause is the phase of life after your periods has stopped. Perimenopause and
menopause will bring changes in the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The hormonal
fluctuations will affect how your body responds to insulin sensitivity (Allison, 2011). During the
perimenopausal phase, these hormones are unstable and cause problems with diabetes
management. Around this time, there are varied effects on your body composition and insulin
sensitivity. In fact, many studies have shown that any time hormones change, weight can change,
and weight has a major impact on diabetes. Imbalances in any of the hormones including
estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, cortisol, and thyroid can lead to weight gain (White, 2013).
Hormonal changes and weight gain could bring the effect of diabetes mellitus and lack of
glycemic control. Hormonal changes are a problem for women, especially at menopause. For a
number of reasons, women are prone to accumulating excess body fat, whether of not they have
diabetes. It’s well known that female hormones promote fat formation. The fat is typically
deposited first on the thighs and buttocks, then the stomach, followed by the upper body and

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arms. Women with type 2 or the metabolic syndrome, however, typically accumulate fat in the
abdominal region (Dougherty, 2013).
Now, the question is if menopause increases the risk for diabetes type 2. Researchers
have been asking themselves if menopause increases the risk of diabetes type 2 for some time.
Studies suggest that taking estrogen promotes insulin sensitivity, which may in turn lead to a
lowering of blood glucose levels. However, taking estrogen to lower your blood glucose levels is
not a good idea. Weight loss and increased physical activity are safer options for the prevention
and treatment of insulin resistance (Foltz-Gray, 2012). Researchers have found that menopause
and weight gain will bring hormonal changes and most likely, diabetes. Age and overweight are
the most common traits that make someone develop type 2 diabetes. During this time the levels
of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, are changing. These hormonal changes can affect
women and their blood glucose levels to fluctuate. Menopause is the time where women that
didn’t know they had type 2 diabetes will be diagnosed with it. Studies suggest that losing even
10 to 20 pounds can help control your blood glucose levels more easily, as well as improve your
circulation, blood pressure, and heart health. Brian Tulloch, MD, an endocrinologist at Park
Plaza Hospital and Medical Center explain “certain minorities have a higher risk of developing
diabetes type 2 during menopause. Add to the genetic factor the frequency of obesity and the
reduction of physical activity, and you see why so many women are diagnosed with type 2
diabetes as they begin the offset of menopause”.

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Sometimes women recently diagnosed with diabetes tend to confuse the signs of
menopause with some of the symptoms of low or high blood glucose. If you find yourself
occasionally dizzy, sweating, find it hard to concentrate, usually irritable, it could be due to
hormonal changes of high or low blood sugar. Other symptoms such as fatigue could be
associated with both menopause and with high blood glucose levels. The only way to know for
sure is to test your blood glucose. According to Pat Dougherty, a nurse and certified as a
Menopause Practitioner by the North American Menopause Society, both diabetes and
menopause raise a woman’s risk of osteoporosis. So, women with diabetes must be proactive
about taking steps to keep bones strong. Lack of sleep, whether related to menopause, stress or
something else, can disrupt diabetes control and hormones like cortisol, resulting in more uneven
blood sugars. According to the National Sleep Foundation, women who lose sleep are also likely
to gain weight. Because sleep deprivation decreases leptin, the hormone that helps control
appetite and increases gherelin, a hormone that stimulates it (Jacobs, 2013). And menopause is
often associated with weight gain, which can make blood glucose control more difficult. While
the effects of estrogen and progesterone in diabetes control are not entirely understood, in
general, it appears that higher levels of estrogen may improve insulin sensitivity. When insulin
sensitivity decreases, more insulin is needed to get glucose into the cells (Dougherty, 2013).
There are similar symptoms between menopause and diabetes. Therefore, women tend to
get confused distinguishing between the two conditions. For example, menopause-related hot
flashes or moodiness can be mistaken for symptoms of low blood glucose. Night sweat and hot
flashes, which occur during the night, can lead to daytime fatigue mistaken for low blood

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glucose levels as well (Women’s Health Matters.Ca, 2013). According to Susan Joyce Proctor,
an expert on nutrition, weight management, and women’s health, there is a relationship between
nutrition and hormone balance. Proctor says, “estrogen and insulin have a synergistic
relationship, so it’s virtually impossible for a woman to balance her hormones if her blood sugar
is not also balanced. But when she balance her blood sugar, then her other hormones often
become balanced on their own”. By eating too much of the wrong processed foods, you can
damage the pancreas so much that it stops producing insulin properly.
There are steps you can take to balance your blood sugar and hormones:
 Eat regular meals of nutritious food
 Eliminate processed, simple carbohydrates, (which interferes with estrogen production)
 Avoid eating the foods with Lectins for your blood type, which have harmful effects on
your body
Here are ten diabetes symptoms:
 Increased urination
 Excessive thirst
 Weight loss (or gain in the midsection of your belly for type 2 diabetes)
 Hunger
 Skin problems including darkening of the skin around the neck and armpit
 Slow-healing infections or cuts (necrosis)

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 Yeast infections
 Fatigue and irritability
 Blurry vision-having distorted vision and seeing floaters or occasional flashes of light are
a result of high blood sugar levels
 Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, along with burning pain
(Gardener, n.d.).
There are many ways to reduce the risk of diabetes and the risk of diabetes complications which
in turn will reduce the discomforts of menopause:
 Remain physically active. Regular physical activity or exercise can help increase energy
levels, improve mood, and combat weight gain. Exercise more, in general.
 Substitute whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables for processed refined foods, they
will help to control glucose levels and to increase energy levels.
 Use alcohol and caffeine in moderation or not at all.
 Increase sources of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet with fatty fish (such as mackerel,
salmon, sardines) or plant-based sources (such as soy, canola oil, flax seeds, and
walnuts).
 If you are a smoker, stop smoking.
(Menopause, 2013).

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