For women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, how do insulin needs change during menstruation?
[back to pregnancy and diabetes questions] Insulin and Menstruation with Diabetes: Pre-menstrual hormones tend to make a woman’s blood glucose higher at breakfast than it normally would be. Pre-menstrual hormones also make a woman’s typical blood glucose fluctuations during the day even greater than usual. The only way to manage changing insulin requirements right before your period is to measure your blood glucose often. Your doctor can help you to figure out what insulin dose adjustments you should make each month before your period. Usually, a woman’s insulin requirement goes up 10 to 15% during the last 3 to 5 days of the menstrual cycle due to the hormone progesterone. This is the hormone that prepares the uterus to be full of extra tissue and blood to receive the egg, if it is fertilized. Rising levels of progesterone counteract that action of insulin. During these days, bedtime insulin doses may need to be increased, and possibly morning insulin doses as well.
