Perimenstrual Symptoms in Women with Diabetes Mellitus and the Relationship to Diabetic Control

Abstract

Four hundred and six insulin-dependent diabetic women completed a Menstrual Health Questionnaire published in Balance. Sixty-seven percent of women experienced changes in blood glucose levels or glycosuria premenstrually and 70% during the menstrual phase. Changes were more common in women who regarded themselves as suffering from premenstrual syndrome. Those experiencing premenstrual craving for sweet foods tended to have higher blood glucose levels or more glycosuria at those times. This may be a consequence of some women indulging their craving. Premenstrual symptoms were not caused by hypoglycaemia. When compared with age-matched non-diabetic women responding to a similar questionnaire, the diabetic women had a later menarche and, among those not on steroidal contraceptives, were more likely to report very irregular menstrual cycles. Among those regarding themselves as sufferers of premenstrual syndrome, diabetic women had less severe premenstrual symptoms than non-diabetic women. When women from these two self-designated premenstrual [corrected] syndrome suffering groups were matched for severity of premenstrual depression, differences still persisted in the severity of some symptoms perimenstrually, raising the possibility that in some way diabetes may alter women's experience of menstrual cycle-related symptoms.