I just read an article in Everyday Health that I found full of interesting insights regarding diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. You can read the whole article at

http://www.everydayhealth.com/diabetes/type2/understanding/menopause-and-type-2-diabetes.aspx?xid=aol_eh-endo_1_20120130_&aolcat=APS&icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl11%7Csec3_lnk3%26pLid%3D131579

Here are some excerpts from the article.

"If you usually ovulates every 28 days or so, you may have wide variations as you approach menopause. You may have cycles that go 40 days or longer between periods and at other times find that your periods come only a couple of weeks apart. While this is happening, the levels of your hormones, estrogen and progesterone, are changing quite a bit, too. These hormonal changes can affect your blood glucose levels, which for women with type 2 diabetes could cause problems."

"Some symptoms of menopause could be confused with signs of too high or too low blood glucose, including dizziness, sweating, and irritability. With symptoms being so similar, it may be hard for a woman to tell which is which. Rather than guessing, you should check your blood glucose levels when you’re experiencing these signs."

"Women with type 2 diabetes who are overweight may undergo menopause later than their type 1 diabetes peers. It’s been found that estrogen levels in women who are overweight drop more slowly than those who are underweight or of normal weight."

"Menopause is also a time when women who didn’t know they had type 2 diabetes may first be diagnosed with it. "

"Women with type 2 diabetes who have gone through menopause may no longer have wild hormonal swings affecting blood glucose levels, but they do have other health issues to keep in mind. They are at higher risk of developing atherosclerosis, the hardening and thickening of the artery walls that can lead to stroke or heart attack. Weight gain adds to the risk of heart disease."

"With menopause and a more sedentary lifestyle comes another risk: osteoporosis, the bone-thinning disease. While women with type 2 diabetes aren’t at as high a risk of osteoporosis as those with type 1 diabetes, they do have a higher risk of breaking bones than a menopausal woman who does not have diabetes. "