May 2, 2004
Other
Question from Burlington, Ontario, Canada:
My daughter has had type 1 diabetes for four years now. Her periods are a nightmare. She gets horrible cramps for two days and even ibuprofen doesn’t help. She went on the birth control pill. The first time it was not successful since she still had the horrific cramps. Then, she went on a stronger birth control pill and she gained a lot of weight. She went off that pill two months ago and, today, is in agony in bed with cramps. Her first period since going off the pill is due today. Ibuprofen is not helping. Do young women with type 1 diabetes suffer, in general, with menstruation? Are there any other alternatives besides the birth control pill to help control the pain caused by cramps?
Answer:
Although this is certainly not my area of expertise, I have had no reports of diabetes affecting period pain at all. Rather the converse – periods can disrupt blood sugar control so that insulin doses may have to be increased or decreased during menstruation. The best advice I can offer is that your daughter should seek the opinion of a gynecologist.
KJR
