Study connects diabetes to menopause in women

MONTRÉAL — Women with Type 1 diabetes appear to be at greater risk of physical and psychosocial health problems after menopause and require an updated treatment plan, according to a new study. Published in September by Diabetes Research and Clinical Practices, the research found that post-menopausal women had a higher risk of retinopathy, cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, falls, and moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms. They were also less likely to have been prescribed antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medications. Jane Yardley of the Montreal Clinical Research Institute was one of the co-authors of the study. “What we found (ultimately) was that there were several things that were worse for women after menopause than before menopause,” Yardley said. The research was based on a review of the medical records of 211 women aged 40 to 60, including 90 post-menopausal women and 121 premenopausal women.