Is there a group here specifically for women dealing with female health problems emerging from diabetes? I didn’t want to scare anyone with my questions. Guidance would be appreciated. 
Thanks in advance.
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unfortunately, we don’t have “groups” per se anymore, but i guess you can just ask away. We are not scared by anything, and neither should our male members be. If they are not interested in it, they just don’t have to look at the discussion
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As we all know, diabetes affects just about every system in the body, so there are always effects and side effects to deal with. Some of them you would not hestitate to discuss in polite company while others are by their nature more . . . let’s say, sensitive. And that is true of both genders, take my word.
The paramount guiding principle of TuDiabetes is that it’s meant to be (and is) a place where it’s safe to discuss whatever needs to be discussed. So don’t hesitate. Whatever the issue is, this community includes people who have been there, done that, and are happy to share their experience and advice. You’ll hear from them. Guaranteed.
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Ask away! I would be curious to see what questions you have, as I have some female questions/concerns myself! Since being diagnosed in February, my monthly visitor has stopped visiting…not that I’m complaining, but I’ve never gone this long without one before. Also, I’ve been having HORRIBLE hot flashes/night sweats. Fun stuff! I’m 27, not pregnant, and my Endo isn’t too concerned. He did some blood work and ruled out any thyroid/hormone issues. Any of the other ladies out there with the same issues??
I have those issues! I get a period, but over the last year or so it has gotten much lighter, shorter, and farther apart. I also get night sweats (sometimes day sweats) and hot flashes at night. I’m 28. I have hypothyroidism but it is controlled and checked frequently. Don’t know what’s going on, and like you, no one seems concerned.
It’s 2016, for heavens sake! You can say “period” in mixed company… 
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I didn’t do it for anyone else’s benefit, and I’m aware of what year it is. It’s just another term that I use 
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Sorry it’s taken me so long to respond guys. I’ve been trying to think of appropriate wording but I don’t think there would be such for this topic. It’s interesting that the other ladies have mentioned irregular periods as this is something I have dealt with as well. What I keep having problems with now are infections. My body switches back and forth between yeast and BV and has done so for almost 5 years. my gyno keeps saying you gotta keep the sugars under control that’s the only way. I’m thinking to myself as she says this, how the heck can I control it any better without completely spazzing out 24/7. My A1C is a solid 6 of not lower at all times. I know that diabetes and a weakened immune system is part of the issue but no one seems to have any answers. I’m currently discussing a two month plan with some naturopaths as I am at my wits end. My gyno even went as far to say that any woman with BV just becomes paranoid and it’s not life threatening. I would love to hear your experiences as I know I’m not the only diabetic fighting this.
These infections are so unpleasant, and I get them periodically too.
My gyn described that vaginal pH can encourage/discourage infections. She prescribed capsules filled with 600 mg boric acid as vaginal suppositories at bedtime. The capsules needed to be prepared at a compounding pharmacy but were not expensive. I used them for a few weeks and am no longer having recurring infections.
Perhaps your gyn or a naturopath could consider this treatment.
Feel better!
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Yes I have been doing some research and actually just purchased some boric acid pills. How often do you use these nightly?
Hi @Elyssia1 I’ve suffered from the same issue for YEARS (type 1 for 30 year).
I even remember seeing one gyno who upon checking me for the first time said “I can tell you’re diabetic just from doing this exam.” Even with A1Cs ranging from 6.0 to 6.5 I still had them.
At some point I completely stopped eating any sugar. No desserts and chocolates after dinner.
All my infections went away.
Over time I’ve cut out a lot of things from my diet (to maintain a tight control over BG) so now I’ve been pretty low carb for almost a couple of years and it’s great for my numbers overall but I also noticed my infections haven’t returned since. I honestly don’t know if it’s because of my BG numbers or just not eating any sugar (a form of the Candida Diet) or a combination of both.
Just sharing my story and experience. It might work for you, it might not, but always worth a try.
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I find that I get a lot of lows and high (especially in the mornings) if I don’t eat any carbs. How did you handle the lows of lowering your carbs? I’ve tried once and it wasn’t pretty. How closely did you work with your endo while eliminating them? I might just be extremely insulin sensitive so idk if you had any trouble.
Also on a side note I forgot to add this in here. I work out vigorously for good blood sugar control and stress relief. Low carb and working out I’ve found has never paired well. If anyone’s attempted this successfully or has suggestions I’m certainly open to them. I also used to swim competitively but it aggravated the BV so much I had to stop. Salt water pools seem to help but until I find a way to kill this I’m not even considering swimming at all.
I used to get really itchy and/or infections right before and during my period until installing a bidet to help with in between shower cleanings. You’d be amazed at what simply rinsing everything off can do for a person, physically and emotionally. It’s been a huge life saver for me. It’s unfortunate that it’s not as common in American culture because it’s made a huge difference hygienically. And it’s not like I wasn’t clean before. But cleaning up should never be faulted and it worked wonders for me. They only cost like $20 or so, and are super easy to install yourself.
@Elyssia1 I actually run 5 miles 3 days a week on a very low carb diet with no issues at all.
In fact, I have to bolus before runs as they will spike me if I don’t (due to an adrenal response). After the run I will normally start seeing a slow decline in BG but I usually run before dinner so I just eat my dinner with more protein and it usually does the trick. When I first started running on LC I had to eat some glucotabs after but seems like my body has adjusted to it somehow, and I don’t go that low anymore. I sometimes will be able to forgo bolusing for almost a day after a run too.
In order to eat very low carb you must adjust insulin doses. I had to lower mine by 2/3! There was a period of adjustment, and my endo helped me figure out my doses though since then I’ve made another small change as I feel I have a pretty good idea of how to adjust my insulin by myself after so long with T1. She never opposed going low carb, I think she’s just indifferent to it as long as my BG is good, she just wanted to run lots of blood work, which I thought was a good idea too.
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What do you eat for breakfast? If I don’t have carbs for breakfast I always spike extremely high. The dawn effect is hard on me. I think it’s where I sleep so deeply. How many carbs do you eat a day? I eat most of mine at breakfast then as I get low through the day I eat more fruit.
Thank you! Sometimes our culture really baffles me. Unfortunately that wouldn’t help as I spend most of my hours at work. I’m so glad that worked for you!
I forgot to include this but also if I just Nokia for no or very few carbs in the morning I still get high. If I give too much I drop instantly. Mornings are a hard time for me. 
@Elyssia1 I actually skip breakfast about 50% of days. I also have really bad DP (Dawn Phenomenon) and I find that in my case, if I wake up with over 100 even, it’s just better to skip it as I’m also quite IR (insulin resistant) in the mornings. I’m also not very hungry in the mornings. When I do eat breakfast it’s usually very small so I don’t go over 6 grams of carbs for that meal. I make flax meal cinnamon muffins that are very low carb and high in fiber and eat only one. There are times I will eat one egg and maybe a 1/3 small avocado.
I eat the way of Dr. Bernstein so I don’t normally go above 30 grams of carbs a day, divided into 6 for breakfast, 12 for lunch and 12 for dinner. It levels out my BG throughout the day and as long as I’m careful to not eat dinner too late at night or large portions of protein for dinner, I wake up with great fasting BG.
As for your situation, I know a girl who seems to have the same pattern of DP and she does Bernstein in reverse; meaning she’ll have 12 grams of carbs for breakfast, 12 for lunch, and only a very small dinner if any. I wonder if trying it this way will help you too?
Also take a look at the Candida Diet if your purpose is to first and foremost get rid of those infections. I just think they’re similar enough that you might as well try Bernstein too.
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@Elyssia1 I don’t have the infection issues you originally asked about, but have heard that this is a common complication of T1D for women.
I wanted to respond to your question about working out and low-carb. I do what I would call medium-carb (under 100 grams of CH/day) without much effort, just based on the kinds of real food I actually like to eat. I do not typically eat breakfast, though I do have a latte with 15g of milk, which I sip for an hour or so in the morning covering it with a small extended bolus. Most of the rest of my carbs I eat in meals I have right before I do an hour or more of aerobic exercise. This way, the workout itself replaces most, if not all, of the insulin I would otherwise need as a bolus. With appropriately set basal levels (I do use a pump; not sure I personally could manage the lifestyle I prefer on injections though I have read people do it somehow. For me the basal flexibility is absolutely key.), I don’t remember ever going low due to a workout. So some version of this might work for you as well if, like me, you are also not interested in the ketogenic version of LC.