A turning point between childhood and young adulthood, adolescence is an age of many transitions, emotional, behavioral and physical. These swings can be a lot...we’ve all been there! It is likely that your child too is dealing with a number of fluctuations, often manifesting in varying energy levels and mood swings. However, sometimes this see-saw can be due to more than the everyday ups and downs that come with social and academic pressures, surging hormones and shifts in lifestyle. Chronic health conditions, like diabetes, can cause or add to these highs and lows as well.
While puberty is a time of innate flux no doubt, studies also suggest that there are links between diabetes and puberty, that could make this phase of life bumpier and tougher for your child to handle. The onset of puberty can also affect diabetes treatment and management in kids. It can be difficult for parent/care-giver and child, alike. Making diabetes management easier for your child (and yourself) at this stage of growth makes for a smoother transition.
It’s important to know of the potential interconnections. Let’s look at a few of the links…
Puberty + Diabetes: Of resistance
There is an influx of certain hormones released during this time of life that can cause an increase in blood sugar levels, such as estrogen in girls and testosterone in boys. This also increases insulin resistance, prohibiting the body from using insulin as effectively as before. Finding your child more sensitive to stress lately? Another hormone said to affect insulin resistance and potentially your child’s behavior during this age is cortisol, also known as the ‘stress hormone’. This stage of adolescence comes with a number of stressors, social and hormonal, and keeping an out for drastic behavioral changes can help identify and treat related health conditions as well.
This is also an age where children are growing and growing up – often eating more to meet their bodies’ demands – again fueling the need for more insulin. It becomes extremely important to keep a tab on sugar levels to fine-tune what your child needs and when, to create effective treatment and management plans to mitigate the effects of these fluctuations.
Diabetes + Puberty: Of impacted Linear Growth
Watching your child hit their growth milestones is a joy of its own. However, if your child already has diabetes, then here’s a few things you need to keep an eye on when they are close to puberty.
Looking over a child’s health condition and dealing with the puberty-related physical and psychological challenges can be tough. However, there are coping measures that can help your child and you navigate these many changes, together…
Growing up is often not easy – for children and parents alike! Puberty, with its many impacts can be turbulent enough, without the addition of a condition like diabetes to the mix. Getting your kids more involved in their health journeys, with the aid of information and health tech, can go a long way in riding out the emotional and physical flux that this age often brings...making every stage of life more pain-free and empowering!
Disclaimer: The information mentioned in this document is only suggestive/for patient education and shall not be considered as a substitute for doctor’s advice or recommendations from Abbott. Please consult your doctor for more information.
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