Women and Diabetes: A Global Perspective on Suffering and Challenges
Diabetes is a common chronic condition in millions worldwide, but the diagnosis of diabetes in women often comes with unique challenges. Women of all backgrounds-socioeconomic status, culture, and geography-face unique burdens related to biological differences, societal roles, and healthcare disparities. From hormonal influences on blood glucose levels to systemic inequalities limiting care access, diabetes can be a particularly challenging and complex condition for women.
This article introduces various forms of suffering in women due to diabetes, basing on medical, emotional, social, and economic aspects worldwide.
1. Global Burden of Diabetes Among Women
Diabetes is one of the most important causes of death and disability worldwide, affecting more than 537 million adults in 2021, of whom nearly half are women. The International Diabetes Federation projects an enormous increase in its prevalence by 2045. For women, particular types of diabetes, like gestational diabetes mellitus, bring their own risks, but social factors often exacerbate the burden of the disease.
Gestational Diabetes: A Double Burden
Gestational diabetes affects approximately 15% of pregnancies worldwide. There is High risk of developing Type 2 diabetes seen in women with GDM. Furthermore, their children are at a higher risk for obesity and diabetes, thus creating a vicious cycle between generations. The burden of GDM is very high in low-income countries, where access to prenatal care is limited, thus leaving many women undiagnosed and untreated.
Type 2 Diabetes and Women
Type 2 diabetes is a disease complicated by genetics and lifestyle that disproportionately affects women, particularly in their middle years and beyond. Hormonal changes that occur due to menopause also tend to make them harder to control blood sugar levels. Furthermore, females with diabetes are nearly twice more likely to have cardiovascular diseases than males.
2. Biological and Hormonal Factors in Females with Diabetes
The physiology of a female specifically affects the presentation and progression of diabetes. Biological variability of fat distribution, hormonal fluctuations, and menstrual cycles make diabetes more unyielding to treatment. Thus, women are not only more susceptible but also tougher to treat.
Hormonal Changes
Menstrual Cycle: Due to hormonal fluctuations, blood sugar levels fluctuate with the menstrual cycle. Thus, diabetes becomes much more unpredictable to manage.
Pregnancy: Pregnancy demands tight glucose control since an uncontrolled state of diabetes may cause conditions such as preeclampsia, premature birth, or macrosomia, which are abnormally large babies.
Menopause: At menopause, hormonal changes can worsen the insulin sensitivity and predispose to complications of diabetes.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
For instance, PCOS makes women much more prone to Type 2 diabetes through resistance of insulin. PCOS affects 5–10% of women of reproductive age but is often underdiagnosed, leading to a delay in essential interventions.
3. Social and Economic Barriers: A Gendered Perspective
For women, diabetes is more of a social issue that comes with gender roles, gender inequalities, and differences in access.
Healthcare Access and Disparities
In vast areas of the world, women are barred from accessing healthcare through cultural norms, lacking financial control, or limited health infrastructure.
For example:
In Sub-Saharan Africa, women in rural areas are deprived of diagnostic tools or medication.
-In South Asia, cultural taboos and prioritizing male family members often delay the treatment of women.
Economic Impacts
Diabetes is a very costly disease, from drugs and monitoring equipment to inpatient visits. Women are under greater pressure than their male counterparts, especially in developing countries, where unequal earnings create such pressures. Such pressures often result in less-than-optimal management of the disease, which puts a person at risk of complications.
Caregiving Burden
In most cultures, women are considered primary caregivers. Consequently, women with diabetes might ignore themselves in order to attend to family obligations. Caregiver burden can contribute to increased stress levels in diabetes patients, thereby influencing glycemic control and overall self-perceived health.
4. Psychological and Emotional Distress
Living with diabetes is a real challenge not only to the body but also to the emotions and psyche. Women have high emotional burdens due to society's expectations, stigma attached to the disease, and the chronic nature of diabetes.
Diabetes Distress
"Diabetes distress" pertains to the psychological strain involved with care giving for diabetes-from vigilant monitoring to the threat of complications. Women are more vulnerable to this distress and burden of caregiving roles as well as societal expectations, in comparison to men.
Stigma and Blame
Others discriminate women who suffer from diabetes especially in marriage and reproduction matters. For example, a woman who is diagnosed with diabetes before marriage will be considered less deserving and hence will influence her future and self-esteem.
Psychological Challenges
More females with diabetes experience depression than men. Some of the factors that may cause this include hormonal changes, social factors, and social expectations that put women in an unfair cycle of poor mental health and unmanageable diabetes.
5. Diabetes and Women in Low-Income Countries
The burden of diabetes among women is particularly severe in low-income countries, where healthcare systems are incapable of managing chronic conditions. These factors include poverty, less education, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure.
Case Study: South Asia
South Asia has some of the highest prevalence rates of diabetes globally, but women have certain challenges:
Cultural Norms: Women's health takes a backseat to the families.
Low Literacy: Lack of knowledge about diabetes symptoms leads to late detection.
Gestational Diabetes: High fertility rates increase GDM prevalence, but access to prenatal care is limited.
Case Study: Sub-Saharan Africa
In Sub-Saharan Africa, systemic problems prevent people from managing diabetes:
Infrastructure Lags: Most rural communities have no clinics or other forms of diagnostic equipment
Unaffordable: The drugs and glucose monitors are usually unaffordable.
Education: Awareness campaigns hardly reach women in remote areas.
6. Long-Term Complications in Women
Women with diabetes have a higher risk of complications, including:
Cardiovascular Diseases: Women with diabetes are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes than men who have the same condition.
Kidney Disease: Chronic kidney disease develops faster in women, especially during pregnancy.
Eye Complications: Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of female blindness, and lower healthcare access makes it worse.
7. A Way Forward: Tackling the Challenges
To lessen the suffering of women with diabetes, a comprehensive approach would be necessary, which involves prevention, education, and fair health care.
Prevention and Early Detection
