PUBERTY & BLOOD SUGAR SWINGS
Why hormones shake up your numbers, and what changes during these years.
Puberty brings big hormone changes to your body, and if you have diabetes, it also means changes in your blood sugar and insulin needs.
Why blood sugar swings happen
No matter your gender, hormone changes during puberty affect how your body uses insulin.
💉 Insulin needs in puberty
- You will likely need more insulin than before
⚠️ If blood sugar isn’t managed well during or around the time puberty usually starts, it can:
- Delay the start of puberty
- Delay your growth and physical development
Hormones in puberty
When it starts, and which hormones make insulin work differently.
📅 When puberty starts
- Usually between ages 10–14
- Can begin as early as 8–9 years in some cases
- Often starts later for boys than girls
📈 Growth hormone
- Makes insulin less effective
- Increases hunger and sleepiness
- Released throughout the day, with a peak at night/early morning
- Waking up with a high blood sugar is not uncommon, and is called the dawn phenomenon
⚧️ Sex hormones
- Testosterone (boys) and estrogen (girls) release increases in puberty, both cause insulin resistance
- Testosterone and estrogen fluctuate throughout the day, which makes your blood sugar harder to keep in range
🌡️ Cortisol
- Released higher in puberty
- Raises blood sugar
🔒 Insulin resistance
- All these hormones together make your body respond less well to insulin, in everyone, with or without diabetes
- Insulin resistance reaches its peak in the middle of puberty
- This is also why type 2 diabetes often shows up during the teen years
Girls and periods
How the menstrual cycle changes your insulin needs.
Blood sugar changes during the menstrual cycle vary from one person to another and don’t follow the same pattern for everyone.
🌸 During the menstrual cycle, insulin needs often change
- Days before your period: blood sugar often runs higher, so you may need more insulin
- Once your period starts: levels usually settle and insulin needs often drop back
Keep in mind
💛 You’re not alone
Your insulin needs will change in puberty, and managing blood sugar often gets harder in these years. Keep in mind that this is because of factors out of your control, like hormone changes, but also some in your control, like lifestyle changes. And remember: these challenges affect every teenager with diabetes, no shame at all! Also, you are not alone in this, your medical team, family, and friends are here to help.
For more information
More on puberty and the changes during this time.