Diabetes In Women Causes Indigenous Menstruation Cycle

An endocrine metabolic diabetes consultant specialist, Dr Leny Puspitasari, SpPD-KEMD during a health discussion at Prodia Tower, Jakarta, Sunday (4/6/2023) (ANTARA/Suci Nurhaliza)

JAKARTA - A specialist in endocrine metabolic diabetes consultant from the Indonesian Internal Medicine Specialist Association (PAPDI) Dr Leny Puspitasari, SpPD-KEMD said diabetes in women can cause an irregular menstrual cycle. "Diabetes and menstruation cycles are very related. Diabetes makes menstrual cycles irregular," Leny said at a health discussion in Jakarta, Antara, Sunday, June 4. A normal menstrual cycle, according to Leny, is 23-35 days. However, menstruation cycles in women with diabetes can be longer, shorter, or don't even appear. Lenny, who completed his education at Universitas Brawijaya, added that menstrual cycle disorders can occur in women, both people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. According to him, this is caused by hormonal factors. Women with type 2 diabetes mellitus are said to be at risk of developing an abnormal anovulation or ovulation in which the ovarian does not release egg cells into the falovi tuba. Meanwhile, women with type 1 diabetes mellitus usually experience menopause earlier. In addition to diabetes making menstruation cycles irregular, Leny said the opposite could also happen, namely menstruation also affects diabetes. He explained that blood sugar levels can change during the menstrual cycle. On the first to 10th day of the normal menstrual cycle, insulin sensitivity is normal due to low progesterons, although sometimes there is still a slight increase in blood sugar at the beginning. Furthermore, on the 11th to 14th day which is the ovulation phase, blood sugar increases for a moment. In this phase, insulin resistance increases due to increased LH, FSH, and estrogen. On the 15th to 20 days, blood sugar levels were relatively stable. Then on the 21st to 28th or about a week before menstruation, there was a significant increase in blood sugar levels due to an increase in the hormone progesteron which caused an increase in insulin resistance. "So there is a phase that increases blood sugar, namely the ovulation phase and the phase on the 21st to 28 days," added Leny. Given the close relationship between diabetes and the menstrual cycle, Leny also appealed to women to record a menstrual cycle every month for at least 3-6 months. Then, study blood sugar patterns by recording blood sugar levels for a minimum of two months. That way, according to Leny, it can be determined whether there is a link between increasing blood sugar and menstruating cycles. "After both of them are recorded, then we match them, after that we adjust the dose of medicine we have. How much we want to increase, it depends on the existing recording results (with the help of a doctor)," said Leny.