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Diabetes can lead to irregular periods in teens

Irregular periods can also increase the risk of endometrial cancer, a new US study shows


Young Teenage girls with the metabolic disorder also have to deal with irregular periods, a new US study shows.

 

Menstrual irregularities affected about one in five girls with type 2 diabetes in the study, explains  Dr. Megan Kelsey, lead author of a new study. Those girls had irregular periods even though they were all receiving a treatment for type 2 diabetes, WebMD reports.


In the long-term, irregular periods can also increase the risk of endometrial cancer, the researchers pointed out in the new report.


Menstrual irregularities persisted even when girls made lifestyle changes or took another diabetes medication. "They may need hormonal treatments for their menstrual dysfunction," explains Megan Kelsey, associate professor of pediatric endocrinology at Children's Hospital of Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.


And menstrual cycles that stray from normal can lead to very heavy bleeding and cause extra cramping, said Dr. Megan Kelsey. In the long-term, irregular periods can also increase the risk of endometrial cancer, the new report claims. 


t's likely, she explained, that a hormonal disorder called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the underlying cause of the menstrual abnormalities.

 

The study data was drawn from a large study of type 2 diabetes treatments in children. The new study included 190 girls with type 2 diabetes from that group. None of these girls used hormonal birth control, such as the pill or an intrauterine device (IUD).

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