The health and well-being of women are in the spotlight as South Africa marks Women’s Month in August.
According to Stats SA, diabetes is now the number one reason for ill health and death among women in the country.
Diabetes is a complex condition to manage at any time of life.
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Pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim wants to draw the public’s, in particular women’s, attention to the disease.
“Acknowledging that life gets in the way of daily managing their blood sugar levels we are urging women to act early and prioritise their health during Women’s Month – and the rest of the year,” said the company.
Challenges are exacerbated as women’s lives get in the way, for example, careers blossom, family needs increase, days become busier and healthier choices are harder to make and manage consistently.
Being over 45 and being overweight are some of the largest contributors to developing type 2 diabetes.
For some women, reaching middle age also means moving into menopause, with symptoms like hot flushes, sleep disturbances and certain infections.
Sometimes women with diabetes, especially those recently diagnosed, may confuse the signs of menopause with some of the symptoms of low or high blood glucose.
For example, occasional dizziness, sweating, finding it hard to concentrate or being unusually irritable.
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Fatigue can be associated with both menopause and high blood glucose levels.
Under these conditions, healthy lifestyle choices are the first measure towards managing blood glucose levels, as well as dealing with changes brought on by menopause.
When exercise and a balanced diet are not enough to get your sugar level under control, medication is available.
Many of these medications are taken once daily and help to reduce the reabsorption of sugar from the kidneys to the bloodstream, facilitating the excretion of excess glucose through urine.
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