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admin2024-06-25 00:33:232024-06-25 00:40:57Could Your Thyroid be Causing Infertility?Diabetes & Infertility
How Diabetes Effects Fertility in Men & Women
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes affect more than 37 million Americans. Most people realize that diabetes can result in a wide variety of health problems including blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease, and more. But many adults of reproductive age do not realize that diabetes can also lead to fertility difficulties in both women and men.
In this article, Austin, TX natural fertility doctor Ruthie Harper, MD discusses the impact that diabetes can have on fertility – and what men and women can do to help mitigate these effects so they have the best chance of growing their family.
Type 1 vs. Type 2 Diabetes
Of the 37 million people in the US with diabetes, only 1.6 million are living with Type 1 or “Juvenile” Diabetes. This includes 200,000 children and young adults under the age of 20. Type 1 diabetes is a hereditary autoimmune disorder that typically onsets during childhood – in which a child’s immune system destroys their pancreas, and they can no longer make Insulin. Type 1 Diabetes is not reversible.
Approximately 90 to 95% of Americans living with diabetes have Type 2. Although not everyone with Type 2 Diabetes is overweight, obesity and an inactive lifestyle are the most common causes of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Unlike people with Type 1 Diabetes, men and women with Type 2 Diabetes make insulin, but their body doesn’t use it properly. In many cases Type 2 Diabetes IS reversible.
Diabetes and Fertility in Women
Women suffering from diabetes often experience lower fertility rates than women without diabetes. There are multiple reasons diabetes can make it more difficult to conceive. The following conditions associated with diabetes can contribute to female infertility:
- Obesity
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
- Irregular or absent periods
- Premature menopause
- Endometrial / uterine cancer
- Autoimmunity problems
Type 2 Diabetes and Female Fertility
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a fairly common hormonal condition that is associated with both Type 2 Diabetes and obesity. PCOS can compromise female fertility by leading to irregular or absent periods.
Many women with Type 2 Diabetes experience irregular or even absent periods that can occur in cycles that are 35 days or longer. In some cases, women with Type 2 Diabetes also experience absent periods that stop for 6 months or longer. Obviously erratic or absent ovulation can make it difficult or impossible to conceive.
Endometrial cancer (uterine cancer) is also more common in women with Type 2 Diabetes. Both the cancer itself, and the aggressive cancer treatments, can lead to female infertility if it is not diagnosed and treated early on.
Type 1 Diabetes and Female Fertility
Women with Type 1 Diabetes are more likely to experience a condition called ‘premature menopause’ in which menstrual periods stop before they turn 40. This shortened reproductive period can close the window on conception sooner in Type 1 Diabetics than the general population.
Complications of Type 1 Diabetes in women – including diabetic ketoacidosis and autoimmune hyperthyroidism – can also lead to increased risk of infertility in women.
Diabetes and Male Fertility
Diabetes can also impact men’s health in a variety of ways that can reduce fertility. Men living with diabetes have a high risk of heart, kidney and nerve disease – and they also are more likely to be infertile.
Some of the ways in which diabetes can affect male fertility include:
Erectile dysfunction – Diabetes can cause nerve damage, which can cause difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection. This makes it difficult for a man to impregnate his partner without assistance.
Ejaculatory dysfunction – Diabetic nerve damage can also lead to failure of the mechanism that causes ejaculation and propels the sperm forward toward the eggs. Diabetic men man experience either ‘retrograde ejaculation’ (when semen enters the bladder instead of emerging through the penis during orgasm) or a complete lack of ejaculation.
Semen abnormalities – Men with diabetes are more likely to experience low sperm count, poor sperm motility (“bad swimmers’), abnormal sperm shape, and damaged DNA in the sperm.
Fertility Help for Men & Women with Diabetes | Austin, TX
Individuals with diabetes are still capable of conceiving, but for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics, it is crucial to get diabetes under control prior to trying to conceive. Patients with diabetes whose blood sugar is well managed have a much lower risk of infertility.
There are also number of lifestyle changes that a Type 2 Diabetic can make to improve fertility, including achieving a healthy body weight, increasing activity levels, making dietary and nutritional changes, and using supplements that can help regulate blood sugar such as SkinShift Glycation Defense.
Ruthie Harper MD, specializes in using integrative, holistic and natural fertility treatments to help women get pregnant. She helps women and men conceive naturally by balancing their bodies through lifestyle, nutrition, mindfulness, stress reduction, and hormone rebalancing.
If you or your partner are diabetic and you have tried to become pregnant without success, Dr. Harper opens her practice doors to you with compassion, and more than twenty years of natural fertility experience. Through the science of personalized integrative medicine, she can help you discover your personal path to total health, wellness, and balance so you can achieve your dream of growing your family.
Natural Fertility Doctor | Austin, TX: 512.343.9355
FERTILITY BLOG
Thank you for visiting our Blog, where Dr. Harper keeps you updated on the latest treatments, technologies and information in the field of natural fertility medicine.
Dr. Ruthie Harper opened her internationally recognized medical practice in Austin, Texas, in 1999. Since that time, she has consulted with more than 10,000 patients, offering the most advanced techniques in natural, holistic and integrative health and wellness.
Check back often for new and informative articles, as well as special offers and exciting events. Or call us today to schedule your fertility consultation … and take the first step toward having the family of your dreams!
512.343.9355
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