
January 14, 2001
Hyperglycemia and DKA, Other Illnesses
Question from South Carolina, USA:
My very close friend (age 16) has had type 1 diabetes for eight years now. She keeps very careful watch of her blood sugar and is on an insulin pump. She has always had relatively good control of her blood sugar levels. Her last A1c was 6.2% a few months ago. In the last few months however, her periods have been spaced irregularly. She started twice in a month, then went for over a month without having her period, then had symptoms such as high sugar and mood swings, but did not actually start her period until a week later. She is on her period now after about two weeks of high sugars that she can’t seem to get down no matter what. Her sugar is usually in the 250-350 mg/dl [13.9- 19.4 mmol/L] range. Do you have any idea what could be causing the blood sugar not to come down? Could diabetes be causing the irregular periods?
Answer:
You should advise your friend to talk this over with her doctor as it may represent a hormonal imbalance.
JS