By Beverleigh H Piepers
Photo: http://findmeacure.com/
Are you going through the medical moment in time known as menopause? Although socially the word menopause refers to a process, medically menopause does indeed refer to a precise moment: the date of your last period. The time leading to and following menopause amount to a huge change for women, both physically and socially.
Do you experience symptoms of impending menopause such as hot flashes, erratic periods, and vaginal dryness? Do you know these physical problems associated with the menopausal stage manifest more in the presence of a concomitant Type 2 diabetes problem? Are you aware menopause can greatly affect blood sugar levels and vice versa?
Menopause is the cessation of menses for twelve or more consecutive months. In previously menstruating women whose ovaries were both surgically removed, menopause begins the very minute after the operation.
Johns Hopkins Point-of-Care Information Technology states that Type 2 diabetes is the most common health problem in women in their postmenopausal period. In fact, 20 percent of all postmenopausal women have this metabolic problem. The changes during menopause such as the:
What are the important pointers in the management of Type 2 diabetes after the menopausal?
1. The risk for cardiovascular disease increases after the menopausal period according to a study conducted in Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Nutrition, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington and published in the June 2003 issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Therefore, women in their postmenopausal stage should be encouraged to control the risk factors associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases.
2. Weight management and prevention of weight gain should be emphasized in patients during their perimenopausal period because weight gain has a very strong influence to the development of type 2 diabetes, says the said study published in the June 2003 issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
3. Women with diabetes during their perimenopausal stage should use hormonal replacement therapy to decrease the symptoms of an impending menopause. The study published in the July 2009 issue of Maturitas states that lowest effective dose of hormonal replacement therapy is generally recommended for this population.
4. Women with Type 2 diabetes are in greater risk for the development of endometrial cancer compared to women without diabetes. Therefore, in women with intact uterus, estrogen therapy should be coupled with progesterone therapy, says the said study published by Maturitas.
5. In women with cardiovascular disease and other risk factors, non-hormonal treatment management is recommended for hot flushes. Vitamin D, biphosphates and calcium may be used for osteoporosis.
Blood Sugar Levels: Decreasing levels of estrogen and progesterone in your bloodstream lead to decreased blood sugar levels as your body's responsiveness to insulin improves. As a result, you may need to adjust your diabetes medication or insulin regimen if you require insulin.
You may also need to make adjustments to your meal and exercise plan as menopause slows down your metabolism. In other words it will be easier to gain weight whilst eating fewer calories or kilojoules.
Photo: http://findmeacure.com/
Are you going through the medical moment in time known as menopause? Although socially the word menopause refers to a process, medically menopause does indeed refer to a precise moment: the date of your last period. The time leading to and following menopause amount to a huge change for women, both physically and socially.
Do you experience symptoms of impending menopause such as hot flashes, erratic periods, and vaginal dryness? Do you know these physical problems associated with the menopausal stage manifest more in the presence of a concomitant Type 2 diabetes problem? Are you aware menopause can greatly affect blood sugar levels and vice versa?
Menopause is the cessation of menses for twelve or more consecutive months. In previously menstruating women whose ovaries were both surgically removed, menopause begins the very minute after the operation.
Johns Hopkins Point-of-Care Information Technology states that Type 2 diabetes is the most common health problem in women in their postmenopausal period. In fact, 20 percent of all postmenopausal women have this metabolic problem. The changes during menopause such as the:
- increased tendency to central obesity,
- increased levels of blood LDL,
- decreased HDL levels, and
- increased insulin resistance
What are the important pointers in the management of Type 2 diabetes after the menopausal?
1. The risk for cardiovascular disease increases after the menopausal period according to a study conducted in Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Nutrition, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington and published in the June 2003 issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Therefore, women in their postmenopausal stage should be encouraged to control the risk factors associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases.
2. Weight management and prevention of weight gain should be emphasized in patients during their perimenopausal period because weight gain has a very strong influence to the development of type 2 diabetes, says the said study published in the June 2003 issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
3. Women with diabetes during their perimenopausal stage should use hormonal replacement therapy to decrease the symptoms of an impending menopause. The study published in the July 2009 issue of Maturitas states that lowest effective dose of hormonal replacement therapy is generally recommended for this population.
4. Women with Type 2 diabetes are in greater risk for the development of endometrial cancer compared to women without diabetes. Therefore, in women with intact uterus, estrogen therapy should be coupled with progesterone therapy, says the said study published by Maturitas.
5. In women with cardiovascular disease and other risk factors, non-hormonal treatment management is recommended for hot flushes. Vitamin D, biphosphates and calcium may be used for osteoporosis.
Blood Sugar Levels: Decreasing levels of estrogen and progesterone in your bloodstream lead to decreased blood sugar levels as your body's responsiveness to insulin improves. As a result, you may need to adjust your diabetes medication or insulin regimen if you require insulin.
You may also need to make adjustments to your meal and exercise plan as menopause slows down your metabolism. In other words it will be easier to gain weight whilst eating fewer calories or kilojoules.
To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments
Clicking on this link will help you to learn more about Type 2 Diabetes Solutions... Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective.
Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2011 - All Rights Reserved Worldwide
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beverleigh_H_Piepers Clicking on this link will help you to learn more about Type 2 Diabetes Solutions... Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective.
Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2011 - All Rights Reserved Worldwide
