Diabetes in women: early signs and symptoms

In this short post I would like to emphasize the key peculiarities of diabetes in women. Stress and female sex hormones are the main causes of diabetes in women. The main symptoms of diabetes in women are depicted.

Diabetes is an insidious disease that is very difficult to diagnose in time. All visible signs of the disease (weight loss or gain, fatigue, dry mouth, or itching) are either mild or absent at all. The main symptom of diabetes is increased blood glucose level.

Vital signs of diabetes in women

Statistics show that women are thrice more likely to have diabetes than men due to the constant effects of female sex hormones on the body. Women have much more fatty tissue than men and fewer muscles. Adipose tissue is less sensitive to insulin. Thus, it takes too much time for glucose to be absorbed into the blood.

Constant worry is the main factor of diabetes in women. For example, women are stressed eight times oftener than men. As a result, steroid hormones are released, leading to a considerable increase in blood glucose level.

Overall, symptoms of diabetes in women are always less evident than in men. Therefore, doctors often diagnose the illness correctly too late, which inevitably leads to severe complications. Women with diabetes suffer from heart attacks six times oftener than men.

The main symptoms of diabetes in women

Women often do not always pay attention to the first symptoms of diabetes. In 90% of cases, women mistakenly consider symptoms typical for diabetes to be simply stress, age-related changes in the body, and fluctuations in hormonal levels. Consequently, the first signs of diabetes in women often go unnoticed. Unfortunately, it can lead to serious medical complications.

The key diabetes symptoms in women:

• Dermatitis;
• Increased thirst and dry mouth;
• Swelling in the legs;
• Increased appetite;
• Gastrointestinal disorders, nausea;
• Panic attacks;
• The smell of acetone from the mouth;
• Itching of the skin in the groin and under the breasts of the palms and soles of the feet;
• Thrush;
• Cystitis;
• Menstrual disorders;
• Taste of metal in the mouth;
• Infertility;
• Dry skin and increased hair loss.

It must be noted that not all of these symptoms can co-occur. Sometimes a woman can observe only one of the mentioned signs. Notwithstanding this, if you have any of the diabetes symptoms, you should immediately consult your physician. Never self-medicate!