Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cathy Jacobson on July 6, 2010 at 8:16am

Trish, my heart goes out to you. Although I don't have periods anymore, had my tubes tied after my last son was born 22 years ago, and then went anemic, also. Treated that with the pill and shots, and now no periods what so ever...I can imagine that trying to control both, or one is "H". I sure hope you find something that will help you, or someone here has some ideas for you.

Permalink Reply by Kristy on July 7, 2010 at 4:00am

Absolutely Trish! I have to start upping my insulin during the week before. My sugars are much harder to control and I think obviously a mixture of hormones a little bit of I look for food which is more comforting!

Permalink Reply by nopucksnosticks on July 7, 2010 at 4:19am

Trish...I'm a couple of months into menopause but the three days prior to my cycle were out of control numbers every month. I'm on an insulin pump and used to up my basal rates by 30% as soon as I noticed the rising BG's. Basal correction always seemed to work better than upping meal bolus or chasing the high. Speak to your endro about CGM mapping, those 24/7 results might provide a wealth of information about the BG's for you and your team.

Permalink Reply by Trish on July 7, 2010 at 5:05am

Thank you for you input, my doctor and i are going to try setting 3 basal rates for the month and also changing when the trends tend to go higher. i just hate the feeling of seeing those high numbers!!

Permalink Reply by mistressbinky on August 28, 2010 at 6:39pm

I increase basal rate by .05 units for one week when menstrual cycle arrives

Permalink Reply by Lynn on September 7, 2010 at 2:28pm

Yes my numbers rise sharply the week before my period. Then 2 days into my period it's like I go back to the diabetes honeymoon period for a few days. I also have PCOS so my hormones are a real joy :) I have 3 children as well; youngest is 5 months, so I am still dealing with some postpartum adjustment as well. I haven't figured out exactly what to do to compensate for this but I am inspired by this conversation and will talk to my new endo (a woman -- my previous one, a man, was not sympathetic to this discussion) when I see her next month about it. Thx!!

Permalink Reply by Trish on September 7, 2010 at 6:14pm

My endo is trying to work with me but the problem is each month seems to be a little bit different so i just have to wing it a bit. this past month for over a week before i was at about 40% higher on my basal rate and then in a flash i had to adjust to 20% less than normal because i could not keep my sugars above 50. Has anyone found that they can use the same formula month after month or found anything to help control the hormones at all besides the birth control pill?

Permalink Reply by nopucksnosticks on September 8, 2010 at 5:04pm

As I am post menopausal I no longer suffer the crazy hormonal monthly spike in my BS. However, just like everybody who is T1 I do struggle with insulin resistance from time to time. Recently my husband developed a heart condition (not related to diabetes)and some of the cardiac information we were given covered insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome issues (they are tied to alot of cardiac problems). Thought I would pass the suppliment information on to you as I was told the reason for the monthly BS spikes was insulin resitance caused by hormonal activity. It might be helpful to check the recommendations out with your endro...be careful as some of the suppliments interact with medications - (insulin especially) and the dosage amounts discussed are very high:

"SupplementsVitamins that may be helpful -

Glucomannan, a type of water-soluble dietary fiber, may reduce many risk factors in people with IRS. A double-blind trial found that 8-13 grams per day of glucomannan significantly improved several measures of blood cholesterol control and one measure of blood glucose control in people with IRS. 73 Another double-blind study of healthy people found that 30 grams per day of guar gum, a fiber similar to glucomannan, improved insulin sensitivity and many other components of IRS, including blood pressure and blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides, leading the authors to recommend guar gum for people with IRS. 74 However, in another study, obese people taking 8-16 grams per day of guar gum for 6-12 weeks did not experience any change in insulin sensitivity. 75

Vitamin E, 800-1,350 IU per day, has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity in both healthy 76 and hypertensive 77 people in double-blind studies. Research is needed to investigate this effect in people with IRS.

One double blind trial found that 1,500 mg per day of calcium improved insulin sensitivity in people with hypertension. 78 No research on the effects of calcium in people with IRS has been done.

Magnesium deficiency can reduce insulin sensitivity, 79 and low dietary intake 80 and low blood levels 81 of magnesium have been associated with greater insulin resistance in nondiabetic people. However, no studies of magnesium supplementation in people with IRS have been done.

Chromium has long been known to be helpful to people with insulin-related disorders. 82, 83 While no chromium research has been done specifically on people with IRS, known mechanisms of chromium's effects indicate that chromium plays a role in promoting insulin sensitivity. 84, 85 Preliminary evidence also suggests that insulin resistance may cause loss of chromium from the body, increasing the likelihood of chromium deficiency. 86

Preliminary studies have reported that low zinc intake is associated with several of the risk factors common in IRS, 87 and a low blood level of zinc is associated with insulin resistance in overweight people. 88 However, people with IRS have not specifically been studied to determine whether they are zinc deficient or whether zinc supplements are helpful for them.

A double-blind trial showed that coenzyme Q10, 120 mg per day, reduced glucose and insulin blood levels in people with high blood pressure and heart disease. 89 These results suggest that coenzyme Q10 may improve insulin sensitivity in people with components of IRS, but more research is needed."

Good luck.

Permalink Reply by Trish on September 8, 2010 at 7:08pm

Thank you very much for that information.. I am going to ask my endo about these when i see her next week and see what her thoughts are...