Diabetes Health Center

Type 2 Diabetes and Women

For women, living with type 2 diabetes can be tough. Diabetes brings many other health risks that you need to know about.   

For instance, women with type 2 diabetes are more likely than other women to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease.

The good news: A healthy lifestyle and solid medical care can halt those risks.

Here's what every woman with type 2 diabetes needs to know.

The Heart of the Matter

Type 2 diabetes makes heart disease -- the top killer of U.S. women -- more likely.  

Women with diabetes are as likely to have a heart attack as someone who has already had a heart attack. Compared to men, women with diabetes are more likely to have a heart attack and to die from it. And they tend to have a poorer quality of life than men.

“Nobody knows for sure why these heart risks are different for women than men - whether it’s hormones or socioeconomic factors or some combination of those two,” says ob-gyn and diabetes educator Cassandra Henderson, MD, of New York’s Montefiore Medical Center.

If you’re a woman with type 2 diabetes, your blood pressure needs to be closely monitored, Henderson says. High blood pressure also makes stroke, kidney disease, and vision problems more likely, so it’s a key part of diabetes management. Keeping your cholesterol levels in check will also help protect your heart.

Planning on Getting Pregnant?

Type 2 diabetes usually strikes after age 40. But it's on the rise in younger women, mainly because of obesity.

That means many women now have type 2 diabetes during their childbearing years. And that can be risky.

If you have type 2 diabetes and plan to get pregnant, see your doctor. You need a plan to keep your blood sugar level under control. That will help your odds of a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. High blood sugar levels, particularly early in pregnancy, can increase risk of birth defects.

A healthy pregnancy is possible when you have type 2 diabetes. But it takes work.

A woman with a high blood sugar level is more likely to give birth to a baby with low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) and jaundice. She's also more likely to have a larger baby, which makes for a more difficult delivery.

You may need to see an ob-gyn who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. Your doctor should check on your diabetes drugs, because some shouldn't be taken during pregnancy. As a result, you may need to take insulin.

Of course, a healthy diet and exercise are a must. That's true for everyone, but for pregnant women with type 2 diabetes, it's especially important to help control blood sugar levels.

You'll also need to check your blood sugar level frequently -- up to eight times daily -- while you're pregnant, to flag any blood sugar level spikes.