- Don’t Smoke
- Control your blood pressure
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Exercise regularly
- Eat a low-fat diet
- Take care of diabetes
- Be aware of chest pain
- Know your family history
- Anorexia is characterized by fear of weight gain. Women who are anorexic may deprave themselves of important nutrients and aggravate their diabetes.
- Bulimia is defined by regular binge eating, and often, purging, through vomiting, strenuous exercise, the use of laxatives, and starvation. Bulimia is especially damaging to women with diabetes because they may neglect insulin injection.
- Binge Eating Disorder is defined by eating large portions of food, beyond the point of being full, in a short period of time or one sitting. Unlike bulimics, binge eaters do not purge, but may restrict their caloric intake in the form of diets and feel emotionally distraught.
- Abnormal menstrual cycles
- No periods
- Irregular periods
- Heavy or prolonged bleeding
- Painful periods
- Inability to get pregnant
- Acne
- Facial hair (more than is normal for the ethnic group)
- Waist measurement greater than 35 inches, or waist bigger than hips (apple shape)
- Acanthosis nigricans: darker patches of skin in neck folds, armpits, folds in waistline, or groin