[zelack]

Is there a link? Like, is it particularly common among type 1 diabetics--or is PCOS strictly a genetic thing? I'm not insulin resistant, just curious what my risk factors are...

[Lovecraft007]

My endo told me that there was a link between diabetes and PCOS, and said that she thought I was PCOS. She even had me on metformin for a while because of the PCOS (I'm off that now).

Some other research I've done has suggested a link as well. WHY the link, though, I don't know!

[foxl]

I am curious since I have (mild) PCOS symptoms, myself.

Here is one relevant article ...

This version published online on February 6, 2007
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism , doi:10.1210/jc.2006-2641
PubMed Citation
Articles by CODNER, E.
Articles by ESCOBAR-MORREALE, H. F.
Pubmed/NCBI databasesMedline Plus Health Information
Diabetes Type 1


Submitted on November 30, 2006
Accepted on January 26, 2007


Hyperandrogenism and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in Women with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
ETHEL CODNER and HÉCTOR F. ESCOBAR-MORREALE*
Institute of Maternal and Child Research, School of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, 836-0160 Chile and Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Ramón y Cajal & Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, E-28034 Spain

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: hescobarm.hrc@salud.madrid.org.


Context: At present, women with type 1 diabetes (DM1) are being treated with supraphysiological doses of exogenous insulin with the aim of providing a strict metabolic control, thereby avoiding the long-term complications of this disease. We hypothesized that PCOS would be especially prevalent in DM1, as might happen in any condition in which the ovary and the adrenals are exposed to excessive insulin concentrations. As will be seen in the present review, androgen excess and PCOS are very frequent complaints in women with DM1, yet nowadays hyperandrogenism is seldom diagnosed in these patients.

Evidence Acquisition: Systematic review of all the published studies addressing hyperandrogenic symptoms in women with DM1, identified through the Entrez-PubMed search engine, followed by a comprehensive review of the pathophysiology, clinical and laboratory features of PCOS in women with DM1.

Evidence Synthesis: The prevalence of PCOS in adult women with DM1 is 12 to 18%, 40 and 31% using NICHD, Rotterdam and AES criteria, respectively. Mild hirsutism and biochemical hyperandrogenism are present in 30 and 20 percent of the patients, respectively. In addition, menstrual abnormalities are observed in 20% of adult women with DM1, and a prevalence of 50% of polycystic ovarian morphology is reported.

Conclusions: Physicians treating DM1 women should be aware of the risk of hyperandrogenism in them, and should include evaluation of hirsutism, menstrual abnormalities, and biochemical hyperandrogenism in their routine examinations. Future studies are needed to determine the best preventive and therapeutic options for the hyperandrogenism of these patients.

[zelack]

How do I know for certain if I have insulin resistance, though? I average 25-30 units of humalog a day (basals and everything) and have pretty tight control...some lows and slightly elevated readings here and there, but I'm a teenager...I'm active. What defines "insulin resistance"?

[foxl]

Originally Posted by zelack

How do I know for certain if I have insulin resistance, though? I average 25-30 units of humalog a day (basals and everything) and have pretty tight control...some lows and slightly elevated readings here and there, but I'm a teenager...I'm active. What defines "insulin resistance"?

You are a teenager? That does not match with my info I posted, then! Sorry ...

IR is so far not possible to measure! I to have a big frustration with that ...

One sign I had some, was acanthosis nigricans -- darkish skin patches sometimes on neck, inner thighs, and armpits (I had a tiny patch in one armpit at dx).

I will let you know I find more info on T1D and PCOS for sure though.

[It Ain't Over]

You can look up 'insulin resistance' on the internet and will likely get thoroughly confused with all the medical terms.
Suffice to say that you are probably not experiencing insulin resistance as a type one with a TDD of 25-30/day.
Most insulin resistance is associated with type 2 diabletes. Although there are several reasons why a type 1 can become very insulin resistant. Weight, alcohol, drugs, illnesses of all sorts can do that.

[foxl]

Alcohol? Really? Do not want to hijack this thread, but can you elaborate in a new one?

[It Ain't Over]

There is a lot of the literature out there that shows a strong correlation between alcohol abuse and diabetes. I know as well as anyone here that alcohol is just fine for most of us, just not for that set of abusers.

[DesertRose]

Originally Posted by zelack

Is there a link? Like, is it particularly common among type 1 diabetics--or is PCOS strictly a genetic thing? I'm not insulin resistant, just curious what my risk factors are...

Check out this article it applies to us type 1s and is about PCOS. Hyperandrogenism and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in Women with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus -- CODNER and ESCOBAR-MORREALE, 10.1210/jc.2006-2641 -- Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism

I actually am seeing a reproductive endo because of the above.