Survey study, 2026
Do menstrual symptoms or PMDD affect how much insulin women with type 1 diabetes need?
No. Women with type 1 diabetes need more insulin during their luteal phase (the week before their period), but this happens regardless of whether they have menstrual symptoms or PMDD.
What they did
15 women with type 1 diabetes using an insulin pump were monitored across their menstrual cycle. Using data from 80 cycles, researchers compared insulin use during the follicular phase (days 1-7) to the luteal phase (days -7 to -1 before period). They checked if menstrual symptoms or PMDD explained any of the differences.
What they found
Women used 49.2 units of insulin daily during the luteal phase versus 45.1 units during the follicular phase. More insulin was needed for basal (background) insulin during the luteal phase. Blood sugar control was slightly worse in the luteal phase. These differences remained after accounting for how much carbohydrate they ate. Menstrual symptoms and PMDD scores were not associated with these insulin changes.
What it means for you
Hormone changes in the luteal phase increase insulin resistance in women with type 1 diabetes independent of whether they have PMS or PMDD symptoms. This is a small study, but it suggests the effect is biological not psychological. The findings might help improve insulin pump programming for women.
15
women with type 1 diabetes
80
menstrual cycles analyzed
49.2 vs 45.1
daily insulin units in luteal vs follicular phase
About the study
- Original title
- 1066-OR: Menstrual Cycle–Related Insulin Requirement Changes Are Independent of Menstrual Symptoms and PMDD in Women with Type 1 Diabetes Using an AHCL System
- Authors
- Eri Takagi, Hideyoshi Kaga, Ryoki Mori et al.
- Journal
- Diabetes
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- monitoring during natural menstrual cycles
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.2337/db26-1066-or
Topics
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