Warning Signs Of Type 2 Diabetes In Women And Men

Diabetes is a chronic condition in which your body cannot produce sufficient quantities of insulin or utilize the insulin produced efficiently. Due to this your blood sugar levels increase. In India, approximately 8.7% of the population between the age of 20 and 70 years are affected by diabetes [1]. Knowing your type of diabetes in extremely important in managing the disease. There are three types of this disease: Type 1, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is also called insulin-dependent diabetes. It occurs when your pancreas is unable to produce the required amount of insulin. Gestational diabetes may crop up during pregnancy. If left unchecked, it can cause serious health complications for mother and child. In case your body is incapable of utilizing the insulin hormone, it results in type 2 diabetes. An inactive lifestyle and obesity are the main factors causing type 2 diabetes symptoms [2].

Amongst these, type 2 is the most common one affecting a majority of people. Check out some of the early warning signs of type 2 diabetes that you should not ignore.

Early Signs and Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

Dry mouth symptoms 

You may experience dry mouth symptoms since you will pee a lot, and this takes away moisture from the mouth.  

Unexplained weight loss

Frequent urination will cause the draining of sugar, resulting in weight loss. You will notice that despite eating well, you keep losing weight. 

Fatigue 

When your body fails to convert energy from food, you would feel tired all the time. Moreover, dehydration from peeing would also make you feel weak. 

Headaches 

You may experience a lot of headaches as your blood sugar elevates. 

Loss of consciousness

You may lose consciousness when your sugar level is dangerously low. This often happens post-exercise or when you miss a meal or have excessive medication on an empty stomach.  

Urge to urinate frequently

This is an important type 2 diabetes symptoms you need to watch out for! Having an urge to urinate often is also called polyuria. This happens when your blood glucose levels increase, and excess sugar is secreted to the urine. When sugar levels go up, your kidneys cannot process them and they get mixed in your urine. This increases the frequency of urination, especially during nights.

Excessive thirst

This is a result of the frequent urination symptom. The loss of excess water over a period of time can cause dehydration. As a result, you may feel unusually thirsty.

Increased appetite

When you are diabetic, you may not get the required energy from your food. Normally, the food you eat is broken down into simpler substances such as glucose. The body utilizes glucose as the fuel and gets energy. In diabetes, the glucose produced is unable to move you’re your bloodstream and into the cells. So, you may feel hungry all the time, irrespective of how many meals you have had.

Changes in the skin texture and color

You can associate diabetes with the slow healing of wounds. In case of a bruise or cut, the healing time is longer if you are diabetic. As a result, your skin texture and color may also change. One of the most common symptoms often ignored is the presence of itchy and dry patches on your skin. Such changes appear as dark folds in regions such as groin, armpits and neck. When insulin levels increase in your blood, your skin becomes thicker than usual.

Vision-related issues

Diabetes has a great impact on your vision. Night blindness and other vision-related problems are a few side effects associated with this condition. You may experience blurry or hazy vision. This occurs when the blood vessels around your eyes get damaged due to high glucose levels. If not controlled on time, diabetes can lead to temporary vision loss [3].

Bleeding in your gums and teeth

High blood sugar can affect your oral health too. Feeling dryness in your mouth is another common symptom that you may overlook. If your oral hygiene is poor and you are finding it difficult to chew, get your sugar levels checked. In some cases, you may also experience cuts on your tongue and dry lips.

Numbness in your hands and feet

This is a classic symptom of type 2 diabetes where you may experience numbness or a tingling sensation in your fingers, toes, feet and hands. It happens because of the damage in your nerves caused by high blood sugar. The condition is called diabetic neuropathy and occurs over a period of time.

Being prone to infections

Type 2 diabetics are more prone to yeast, fungal and bacterial infections. From excessive urination, you may face urinary tract infections or other yeast infections. If you have a fungal infection, you may have itchy red rashes around the moist folds of your skin. Meeting a doctor and treating them on time is important.

Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms Common In Men

Usually, men and women experience almost the same symptoms with diabetes 2. However, some problems are associated with men only, such as ED or erectile dysfunction. In addition, research studies claim that diabetic men have higher risks of developing this condition than non-diabetic ones. This happens because diabetes damages the nerves and blood vessels and causes improper blood flow to all the tissues, including the penile area. 

Retrograde ejaculation is another sexual irregularity nocked with diabetic men. This happens when the semen leaks to the bladder and results in a low amount of semen during ejaculation. It could even lead to a man's inability to ejaculate. 

Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms Common In Women

Diabetic women could also experience a lack of interest in sex, vaginal dryness, and painful intercourse. Diabetes damages the nerves, and this results in a decrease in blood flow to the reproductive organs. Diabetes also causes hormonal imbalances in women. As blood sugar level fluctuates, it could lead to a change in arousal.

Diabetes could also lead to menopausal symptoms in women and cardiovascular ailments. 

Diabetic women could also have infertility and find it difficult to get pregnant. In addition, poor management of blood sugar levels could lead to miscarriages during the initial stage of pregnancy. 

Diabetes could also cause weight gain and PCOS polycystic ovary syndrome in women, making it difficult for them to conceive.

Type 2 diabetic women have a greater risk of vaginal fungal infections as high blood glucose levels encourage fungus growth in the vaginal tract.  

If you are experiencing any of these signs, do a blood sugar test and consult a doctor online. Connect to reputed diabetologists in seconds on Bajaj Finserv Health. Book an appointment without delay and get treatment. While there is no complete cure for diabetes, proper management definitely helps. Leading an active lifestyle, consuming healthy meals and taking medications on time are some ways in which you can keep your blood sugar levels in control & you can also avail diabetes health insurance along with additional benefits.