have any of you ladies had your insulin needs go way up-like bolusing double-as you enter peri perimenopause? i am not in menopause, nor am i in peri-menopause. i still get monthly periods and i havent skipped any. but i am 43 and in the past month or so, i spike with a piece of lettuce. i know this sometimes happens in perimenopause/menopause, but im not there yet. but i cant attribute the RIDICULOUS changes from anything else. i am not ill and i do mountain races and triathlons, eating has not changed. ideas? im just going to eat omelettes and ice chips for the rest of my life.
I’m not even in peri-perimenopause but this happens to me for about a week and a half of every month. I just get really insulin resistant even with several extra units of long acting insulin and double my fast acting. I haven’t been able to fix it so I’ve decided it’s just a part of being a woman with diabetes. However if anyone else has had any luck resolving this issue I’d be happy for some insight.
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I have always struggled immediately prior to day one of my cycle, so basically Days 24-28 are a bit rubbish, then I’m thoroughly low day 1-3.
But with perimenopause I have become a lot less regular, and the days 24-28 are becoming more like Days 20-30 or even longer.
I avoid carbs as much as possible those days and try and get some exercise. But cleverly, my cycle has decided that my FIFO work days are the best possible time to do premenstrual insulin resistance. I work 8 Days a month, 12 hours a day in extreme heat. Yay. I just want to sit, vegetate and eat ice cream after work.
I am less than thrilled about this lack of predictability, I was regular as clockwork from age 12 to approximately 3 years ago, age 42.
But rather oddly, I am constantly having to decrease my overall basal rate, just by tiny increments, and compared to 5 years ago, I need a lot less insulin per carb unit. One unit used to drop my BSL by 3mmol/L, now it’s more like 5.
this is what is happening to me, more or less. i am insulin resistant for way longer leading up to my period and i dont know how long i can survive on omelettes, sugar free jello and heavy cream. this is so frustrating, the flying blind and unpredictability is ridiculous! thanks for your input.
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I was also told by the last endo I saw that menopause shouldn’t cause me any dramas blood sugar wise.
Only a man would say something like that. Haven’t seen him again… It’s like saying puberty is a breeze for kids, with sex hormones and growth hormone fluctuations making control super easy, lol.
mickey mouse medical school graduate…
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Hi, any of you ladies still around to revisit this thread?
I’m hitting 50 and the last few months have been a roller coaster as I start hormonal changes.
Any Dr who says there is no correlation is off his rocker.
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@Firenza still is, this should hopefully catch her attention and @Jen might have some input on monthly hormones and Bg levels.
I’m 29 so not in menopause or even peri-menopause so I won’t be much help with actual life cycle changes but I am having serious problems with food (any kind even low carb) spiking my BG despite pre-bolusing, using way more insulin than I should need and correcting aggressively when ever my BG starts to creep up.
I’m pretty much positive that I have developed some sort of disorder but none of my blood work shows that anything is wrong except I have symptoms like severe pain in joints and bones, headaches and exhaustion. None of the rheumatologists in my area will see me because my blood work is clear but there are things that there aren’t blood tests for so I don’t understand their reasoning. I think the pain is causing the insulin resistance due to stress hormones. Add those monthly hormone changes on top of it and I’ve got BG’s that I can’t control.
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Like @Firenza, I’m 38 so haven’t hit anything related to menopause yet. I am not looking forward to that.
I can say that monthly hormones have a HUGE impact on my blood sugar, insulin needs, and even things like dawn phenomenon (which is much more “aggressive” during hormone period).
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Have you been tested for celiac disease which is genetically linked to TD1, can develop at any age and is systemic? No GI symptoms are necessary. All those symptoms you list can be attributed to celiac disease, especially not absorbing food correctly and impacting blood sugars. It starts with a simple blood test.
I was given the autoimmune celiac test about ten years ago. It was negative but a couple if years ago when I started having these symptoms I tried going gluten free for several months and no cessation of symptoms.