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Menopause

kazlincs

Well-Known Member
Hi, started peri menopause 2 yrs ago. Since then, I've put on 2 stone and more recently I've been struggling with high blood sugar. I've had the HBa1c done this week and I've gone up from 30's to 41 is .. To 65mmol!
The doc wants to retest in 8 weeks in case it's a blip..
However, my cousins daughter has just started her period and yes she's type 2, but the hormones have sent her sugars wild! As the menopause is also hormones, I'm wondering if my results are due to the menopause. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, what happened? Did u have to use insulin? I'm on metformin.
Look forward to your response x
 
Hello

Could it be the gain of two stone has increased your insulin resistance and led to the worsening of your HbA1c, rather than a direct effect on blood glucose by the menopause?

If your reading is still high on the repeat, and you are only on metformin then the GP or nurse will probably talk to you about a second medication and/or supporting you in losing the weight.

I’m sorry you are going through this- how frustrating when you’ve had such good control previously.
 
Thank you, it's definitely the menopause that's put the weight on, as it seems the average weight gain is 2 stone..
I lost 5 stone by lowering carbs, but it's just not working now. Apparently its the hormones that need balancing again to help with weight loss.
It's just weird that I've now got high sugars even though when I was bigger than this it was still stable.. I think it's the hormones more than anything
 
How frustrating to have your hard work undone by stupid hormones!!

can you take HRT or something alongside a diabetes review? If the lower carb isn’t working anymore sounds like you need more meds until your hormones sort themselves out.
 
kazlincs said:
definitely the menopause
Click to expand...
hugs, it's a pain! very glad I'm on the other side, it will settle down but to be honest it does take a while.....
just so you know Jilly Cooper (the author) said her mum experienced hot flushes in her 80s, I think this isn't unusual but they do get a lot less frequent and less overwhelming. I don't know about BG during menopause as my diagnosis was post menopause but I do know everything else goes haywire
 
Unfortunately 6 weeks of HRT have me high blood pressure, so I'm now on 2 extra tablets a day for life.. Really miffed as that was always stable too. ****** menopause has alot to answer for! Lol
I'm taking supplements to help the meno which at far is helping

post edited by moderator for language.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
As I understand it the hormones that occur just before day 1 of a period cause insulin resistance so a type 1 girl would likely get higher sugars due to increased insulin resistance (think that is progesterone).
I am type 1 but also age 49 so not looking forward to the next stage! I am aware that menopausal hormones cause fat supplies to be redistributed around the waist and so you get the same risk of insulin resistance that a male does. Remember that insulin resistance begets extra fat being laid down too so if you eat more carb than you can individually deal with, your body produces more insulin and you become insulin resistant. As insulin is an anabolic hormone it enables excess carbs to be easily turned into fat so it becomes a vicious circle.
In summary I'd say you have an insulin problem more than a lack of oestrogen problem. Although you feel low carb isn't working for you now, I'd focus on this and some intermittent fasting to get your metabolism working well again then the fat loss may follow! I think there is an article on this on Diet Doctor website regarding why women struggle with fat loss and how to break out of that problem.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/success-stories/women-40
 

Kazlincs, I won't comment on the menopause issue. I was "fortunate" to have had a sub-total hysterectomy, and no symptoms whatsoever, although a blood test about a year ago confirmed my menopause had finished, however, have you had your thyroid checked out of late? If it is a bit sluggish, that could be at least part of the reason for the weight gain.

The thyroid hormones are pivotal to out metabolic health, so worthwhile keeping an eye on things.
 
NicoleC1971 said:
As I understand it the hormones that occur just before day 1 of a period cause insulin resistance so a type 1 girl would likely get higher sugars due to increased insulin resistance
Click to expand...
Except it's hormones, and the effect seems to vary a lot between different people.
While not considering myself a girl, I do have all the girl parts, including the monthly hassle (I'm 43), and I usually suddenly only need half of my usual mealtime insulin just before my period, and even then I need to watch out for hypo's from my basal. So if anything, I get more insulin sensitive instead of less.

Coincidentally I had a phone appointment with my DSN yesterday to ask if she thought starting birth control would make things more stable throughout the month for me.
Her answer was that as far as she knows birth control could help or worsen the situation, no way to tell without trying (but by all means ask my endo, as she knows more about hormones than she does).

To me, this confirms those female hormones can do all kinds of unpredictable stuff to diabetes, and I would definitely include menopause in the unpredictable part, as hormonally, it seems to be compatible to puberty in that everything changes.
kazlincs said:
I lost 5 stone by lowering carbs, but it's just not working now.
Click to expand...
Wow, well done!
Would there be room for improvement in your diet still? Perhaps there's something to gain there on the blood sugar front, if not the weight.
kazlincs said:
Unfortunately 6 weeks of HRT have me high blood pressure, so I'm now on 2 extra tablets a day for life..
Click to expand...
Why for life? Things may change
 
I was low carbing for whenever I went through menopause - I never noticed, as I was getting away with the way of eating for a good few years. It was only when put back onto the miserable low fat low calorie diet that I began to pile on the pounds again.
 
The doctor told me it's for life..
As for losing weight and getting my numbers more stable, I'm going to make more effort to low carb. Although I went away on motorbike weekend recently and all I had for breakfast was an egg, 1 slice of bacon 1 sausage and mushrooms. A cup of decaf tea with a little milk and 1 half sugars. My bloods were 17.1 over 2 hours later! Thats in 26 degree heat. I chose that breakfast to ensure I didn't have high blood sugar. Talk about baffling!
 
I think low fat low calorie is bad for blood sugar and for weight!
 
Yes menopause has a lot to answer for ... LOL ... I too am trying to lose just a few pounds from my pot belly but it aint happening, I am not overweight my BMI is fine - just can't get rid of the wee belly and I have lost a lot of weight previously and from what I remember it came of fairly quickly with eating more than I eat at the moment so it must be the menopause as I am just as active if not more than before.

Also, re BP tablets my GP advised me that it is only very rarely someone comes off BP meds once they start them - I asked her what my BP would would have to be for me to get off them and she advised 90/60 for 1 month.
 
Wow that's a low reading. Not very likely to come off them then!
I'll mention the meno to my doc after the next blood test in 8 weeks time
Men seem to get it easy, none of this hormone stuff going on lol
 
Although I’m not menopausal I do see a high rise in my numbers before my period each month, it’s really annoying, as a bit like you I’m trying and only see double digits with blood sugar results! So I need to take more Insulin during this time, the nurse suggested upping my dose by 20percent to start with then see if need more. Keep testing so you can write down your numbers to show the gp/nurse in few weeks time, as you shouldn’t be getting high numbers all the time if you are really eating low carb most of the time. Heat really can also send numbers haywire! Would be worth seeing whether the metformin is still working?
It’s the first drug they put you on, as well tolerated generally, lots data on it an established med, and not a weight gain med like other classes are. Agree, thyroid should be tested too really.
Best of Luck! It can be such a frustrating puzzle at times!
 
Thank you, I'll do that.
Much appreciated
 
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