Early Signs of Diabetes in Women: Symptoms and What to Watch For

Talk to your doctor if you think you have diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that occurs when your blood sugar (glucose) is too high (hyperglycemia). Glucose is what the body uses for energy, and the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin that helps convert the glucose from the food you eat into energy. When the body does not produce enough insulin - or does not have any at all - the glucose does not reach your cells to be used for energy. This results in type 1 and 2 diabetes.

According to the CDC, over 38 million Americans (11.6% of the U.S. population) have diabetes, and 8.7 million Americans don't know that they have diabetes.

There are two types of diabetes, which include:

• Type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune condition in which the body does not produce insulin because the body's immune system attacks insulin-producing cells from the pancreas called beta cells.
• Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which cells cannot use blood sugar (glucose) efficiently for energy. This occurs when blood sugar gets too high over time and the cells become insensitive to insulin.
• Prediabetes (sometimes spelled pre-diabetes) is a condition that often precedes type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is when your blood sugar is higher than normal, but not quite high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. Prediabetes does not usually have any symptoms, so there may be no warning signs. A blood test can confirm if you have prediabetes.

More than 97 million American adults have prediabetes and about 90% of people don't know that they have it. If a person does not change their diet and lifestyle, prediabetes can become type 2 diabetes within 5 years.

Early signs of diabetes in women include increased thirst and urination, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, blurred vision, and slow-healing wounds. Frequent infections, tingling in the hands and feet, skin changes, and excessive hunger are also common symptoms. If these occur, it’s important to consult a health care provider for testing and management.

Many type 1 and type 2 diabetes symptoms in women are the same as those in men; however, there are some symptoms and complications of diabetes unique to women. Some of the signs in women with diabetes are as follows:

• Vaginal itching and pain, as well as vaginal and oral yeast infections: An overgrowth of Candida albicans fungus can cause vaginal yeast infections and oral yeast infections (oral thrush).
  • Symptoms of vaginal yeast infections include:
    • Vaginal itching and pain
    • Vaginal discharge
    • Painful sexual intercourse
  • Symptoms of oral thrush include:
    • White patches in the mouth
    • Redness and soreness
    • Trouble eating or swallowing
    • Swollen red gums or inner cheeks
• Decrease in sex drive: Women with diabetes may experience lower sex drive (libido) and blood flow problems to the genital area, which can decrease sexual response and orgasm, and nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy), which can result in vaginal dryness and decreased sensation.
• Symptoms related to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): This is a common cause of female infertility and insulin resistance. It can cause signs and symptoms like irregular periods, acne, thinning scalp hair, and excess hair growth on the face and body. High insulin levels also increase the risk of developing diabetes, and about half of women with PCOS develop diabetes.
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs): A UTI occurs when bacteria enter anywhere in the urinary tract, including the urethra, ureters, kidneys, and bladder. They are much more common in women than in men in general, and they occur more often in people with diabetes because the sugar in the urine presents a breeding ground for bacterial growth.

There are diabetes symptoms that both women and men have in common, including:

• Excessive thirst and hunger
• Frequent urination
• Weight loss or gain
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Blurred vision
• Slow-healing wounds
• Nausea
• Skin infections
• Darkening of skin in areas of body creases (acanthosis nigricans)
• Breath odor that is fruity, sweet, or acetone
• Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet

Some complications of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are the same, for example, skin, eye, circulation, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), ketoacidosis, and amputation.

Some of the diabetes symptoms women may experience include:

• Vaginal dryness
• Genital or urinary tract infections
• Recurrent urinary tract infections
• Decreased sex drive
• Pain during sex
• Heavier menstrual periods
• Difficulty conceiving
• Pregnancy complications
• Facial dryness
• Blurring out vision
• Getting tired early

Pre-diabetes typically does not cause any symptoms. The occurrence of symptoms may suggest that pre-diabetes has evolved into type 2 diabetes. Some females may show signs, including:

• Frequent vaginal yeast infections or urinary tract infections
• Menstrual cycle changes, such as heavy periods that last longer
• Decreased sex drive
• Pain during sex
• Vaginal dryness

High blood sugar is the main cause of diabetes. Identifying the signs of high blood sugar earlier is necessary to prevent the progression of diabetes. Some symptoms of high blood sugar in women include:

• Being extra thirsty
• Urinating more
• Losing weight even after having a good appetite
• Feeling tired
• Blurry vision
• Frequent headaches
• Skin dryness
• Swollen or bleeding gums
• Yeast infections

Doctors will test for gestational diabetes during the 24th to 28th weeks of pregnancy, as this usually is when the condition develops. Often, gestational diabetes has no symptoms, but you may experience some symptoms common to diabetes such as:

• Sugar in the urine (Your doctor can perform a urinalysis to detect this.)
• Increased thirst
• Frequent urination
• Fatigue or feeling tired more than usual
• Nausea
• Blurred vision
• Feeling hungrier than usual
• Weight loss without trying
• Increased infections (vaginal, bladder, and skin)
• Dry, itchy skin
• Increase in vaginal yeast and urinary tract infection (UTI)

Diabetes need not affect a pregnancy if it is properly controlled. Women with diabetes should talk to their doctor when planning to conceive so they can get blood sugar levels under control before becoming pregnant. You will need to understand how to monitor and control your diabetes and blood sugar levels during pregnancy.

If you have high blood sugar levels during pregnancy, there are risks to both the baby and the mother. High blood glucose levels can result in:

• Premature delivery
• Difficult delivery or cesarean section (C-section)
• Miscarriage
• Preeclampsia (high blood pressure usually with protein in the urine)
• Birth defects
• Having a large baby
• Low blood glucose in a newborn
• Yellowing skin and eyes (jaundice) in a newborn
• Breathing problems in the newborn
• Worsening diabetic eye problems and kidney problems for the mother
• More frequent urinary or bladder infections

Men, women, and children can develop diabetes, but the disease can present problems unique to women.

In general, women live longer than men do because they have a lower risk of heart disease, but when women develop diabetes, their risk for heart disease skyrockets, and death by heart failure is more likely in women than in men. Another study also found that in people with diabetes, heart attacks are more often fatal for women than they are for men.

Other examples of how diabetes affects women differently than men are:

• Depression is twice as common in women with diabetes as it is in men with diabetes.
• Women with diabetes are more prone to poor blood sugar control (which can lead to hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia), obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol than men with diabetes.

There are several reasons suggested for why both type 1 and type 2 diabetes may affect women more dramatically than men:

• In women with diabetes, the HDL ("good") cholesterol levels drop, which results in greater heart disease risk; they have less estrogen, and lower levels of estrogen are associated with kidney disease.
• Women with diabetes may receive less effective health care, particularly for heart disease and heart disease risk factors.
• Women with diabetes often have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is a risk factor for diabetes and can result in problems getting pregnant.

If you notice any of the symptoms of diabetes, see your doctor. If diabetes is untreated, it can lead to serious complications including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, and nerve damage.

Your doctor will check your blood glucose levels, and if you are diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor will guide you on a plan to keep your blood sugar levels normal. If your diabetes is mild, your doctor will likely recommend a diet plan, exercise, and weight loss. Your doctor may prescribe medications that help reduce blood sugar levels. In some women, insulin may be necessary.

When diabetes occurs in women during pregnancy, it is called gestational diabetes. It usually is diagnosed between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy. Like in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, blood sugar levels become too high. When women are pregnant, more glucose is needed to nourish the developing baby. The body needs more insulin, which is produced by the pancreas. In some women, the body does not produce enough insulin to meet this need, and blood sugar levels rise, resulting in gestational diabetes.

Fortunately, for most women, gestational diabetes will go away once the baby is born. However, women who have had gestational diabetes are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:

• Being overweight or obese
• Family history of diabetes
• Higher risk for Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, Asian Americans, or Pacific Islanders
• Age over 25
• Previous gestational diabetes, stillbirth or miscarriage, or having a large baby (9 pounds or more)
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or another health condition known to be associated with insulin problems
• Problems with insulin or blood sugar, such as insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, or “prediabetes”
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease

• How can I tell if I have diabetes early on? If you have symptoms such as frequent urination, excessive thirst, unexplained weight loss or gain, blurry vision, increased hunger, feeling exhausted, or numbness or tingling in your hands or feet, you should consult your physician. Your doctor will check your blood sugar levels to determine if you have diabetes. Early diabetes and prediabetes may not produce symptoms.
• What symptoms indicate early-stage diabetes in women? Most early-stage diabetes symptoms are common in both men and women. However, women may have additional symptoms, such as recurrent yeast and fungal infections, vaginal dryness, decreased sex drive, and facial dryness.
• Are there specific early warning signs of diabetes for women? Yes, there are specific early warning signs of diabetes for women, including recurrent urinary tract infections, decreased sex drive, pain during sex, heavier menstrual periods, and difficulty conceiving.
• How do early signs of diabetes in women differ from men? In women, the early signs of diabetes include vaginal yeast infections, changes in the menstrual flow, frequent urinary tract infections, decreased sex drive, and difficulty in labor. In contrast, men tend to experience more general symptoms, such as increased thirst, frequent urination, and fatigue.
• What are the common early symptoms of diabetes in women? The common early symptoms of diabetes in women are vaginal itching, recurrent urinary tract infections, dryness around the face, polycystic ovary syndrome, and yeast infection.
• How can early detection of diabetes benefit women’s health? Early detection of diabetes may be beneficial for women’s health, as it can help reduce pregnancy complications, improve fertility, lower the risk of heart disease, and prevent other diabetes-related problems.
• What should women do if they notice early signs of diabetes? Women should consult a physician to confirm if they have diabetes to avoid further complications.
• Can lifestyle changes help with early signs of diabetes in women? Lifestyle changes can help manage early signs of diabetes in women. Eating a balanced diet, exercising for at least 150 minutes per week, managing weight, and getting enough sleep are all effective strategies for managing the condition.
• How soon should women seek medical advice for early diabetes symptoms? Women should seek medical advice as soon as they notice early diabetes symptoms to prevent the disease from progressing and avoid further complications.