Women with irregular menstruation are more likely to develop diabetes

Adult women who have long but very irregular menstrual periods are twice as likely to develop diabetes as those with regular periods, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston reported in a study released Tuesday.

Researchers at the hospital came to their conclusion after studying information from 100,000 women over eight years.

Although researchers do not fully understand the relationship between menstruation and diabetes, they believe that women whose menstruation is particularly irregular or lasts longer than 40 days may not be able to metabolize glucose in the blood properly during menstruation due to insulin. The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that irregular menstruation is closely related to glucose intolerance.

Women who have irregular periods should speak to their doctors to decide whether to have their blood sugar and cholesterol checked, says a researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Irregular menstruation is a classic symptom of polycystic ovary disease. Generally, this symptom occurs in women who have too much of the male hormone testosterone in their bodies. These women will have many cysts on their ovaries, acne, and increased body hair.

The American Diabetes Association now recommends that women with polycystic ovary disease get a physical exam because these patients suffer from a reduced ability of the pancreatic hormone insulin to metabolize glucose.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital also found that women with irregular menstruation and obesity are more likely to develop diabetes. The researchers recommend that women with polycystic ovary disease or irregular menstruation pay attention to their diet and exercise more to control the development of the disease.