More and more women are developing diabetes so knowing the signs of diabetes in women can help you know when it is time to call a doctor and make some lifestyle changes. Diabetes is when our bodies have high blood glucose, due to a lack of insulin or the body's ability to make use of the insulin you do have is compromised. Diabetes is broken down into type 1 (insulin dependent) and type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent). Today we are looking at some of the symptoms of diabetes in women and how you can make changes in your life so you can combat diabetes!

Common Signs of Diabetes

Here are some of the more common diabetes symptoms that women should look for. If any of these start raising red flags for you, please get in touch with your doctor.

1. Yeast infections

While yeast infections and thrush can be caused by a number of things, they can also be a warning sign of diabetes.

2. Got to go all the time

Not only is it super annoying having to go and pee all the time, but diabetes can also result in a urinary tract infection which makes peeing painful. If you find that you have to go to the bathroom a lot it is important to see a doctor.

3. Pass me the water!

While having to pee a lot is one sign, constantly needing a drink is another. Your sodium levels dropping is one of the things that diabetes does to the body. This means that even if you drink a lot of water, you can still feel thirsty.

4. Bad breath

Always feeling thirsty has an extra side effect and that is bad breath. While a dry mouth is bad enough, if left untreated, you can actually develop ketosis. Constant thirst and bad breath is a sign you need to go to the doctor.

5. Blurred vision

When blood glucose gets into your eyes (another wonderful result of diabetes) it can cause blurred vision. When the blood glucose levels go back to their normal levels, the blurred vision goes. So if you feel that you need glasses and you struggle from time to time to see the TV or read a book, get it checked out!

6. Being prone to injury

One of the other annoying signs of diabetes in women is being more prone to injury. This is because of you not having as much feeling or sensation in your arms and legs. As a result, you are more likely to catch your arm on something, or bash your leg on an object and not even realize. As well as this, a cut can take much longer to heal which is very annoying and can potentially lead to an infection.

7. Weird weight loss

While dropping a few extra pounds may sound like a great thing, the fact is, diabetes can lead to uncontrollable and unhealthy weight loss. This is because instead of burning sugar for energy, your body kicks into overtime and starts burning your fat which leads to increased and unhealthy weight loss. If you are losing weight and do not know why, it is time to call the doctor.

8. Always feeling tired

Being tired, and we mean really tired, can be a sign of diabetes. The reason you are tired when you have diabetes is that your body is not making use of the glucose that carbohydrates are providing it. This gives you very low energy and makes you really tired.

9. Splotchy skin

Splotchy skin is actually one of the earliest signs of diabetes. Look around the neck and the armpits. The splotchy skin is caused by your body putting up a resistance to insulin. This is one of the early signs that you could be developing diabetes.

How You Can Fight off Diabetes

Here we have a few changes that you can make to your lifestyle. These will not just make your generally healthier, they will also lessen the risk of you developing diabetes and having to deal with those nasty diabetes symptoms.

• Lose weight: We said that uncontrollable weight loss is one of the symptoms of diabetes in women. However, before it gets to that, if you can take control of your weight you will have far less chance of suffering from diabetes. Being overweight puts you at a much higher risk of developing diabetes.

• Eat right: Having a balanced diet of fruit and vegetables is proven to put you at less risk of diabetes. We are not saying that you can never have pizza again. Just try and make sure you have a well-balanced diet and you are not eating too much junk.

• Move it: Do not worry, we are not telling you to get out of the way, but to exercise more. You do not have to hit the gym and start pumping iron. Even something as easy as walking a few times a week, going for a swim, or an aerobics class with your friends is going to help. Exercise will make you feel great, look great, and it helps your body use insulin much more efficiently which keeps diabetes at bay.

• No more smoking: Smoking is one of the worst things that a person can do. We could write a whole list of the horrible things it does to your body. Well, you can add diabetes to that list as there has been a lot of research that shows smoking can be a cause of type 2 diabetes.

• Drink like a fish: Water should be your main source of hydration. Sure the odd can of Diet Coke is not going to make a huge difference. But sodas and drinks that are high in sugar can start to cause weight gain, which in turn can lead to diabetes. That is why it is much better if water is your go-to drink when you are thirsty.

Take Home Message

We hope that you now have a better understanding of the signs of diabetes in women and some lifestyle changes you can make to help you never have to deal with them. If you do have any concerns about diabetes get in touch with your doctor right away. The longer you leave it the harder it is to deal with.