Blood Sugar Management—How Your Metabolism Influences Your Mood, Menstrual Cycle, and Fertility

And why addressing cyclical insulin resistance can improve metabolism and hormone symptoms for women.

I was inspired to write this blog series after a recent diagnosis of prediabetes in my late thirties. I feel compelled to share the positive results I’ve seen in my metabolism and overall health as a result of paying closer attention to cyclical blood sugar regulation.

Adding to the list of changes that occur with hormone fluctuations each month, the way your body metabolizes carbohydrates varies throughout your cycle. You may experience symptoms of erratic blood sugar when high hormones come into the mix affecting everything from mood and energy to your waistline and PMS.

In the following four posts, you’ll find:

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways:

Blood sugar levels influence everything from mood to weight management and cognitive function.

The way your body metabolizes carbohydrates varies throughout your cycle—you may experience more erratic blood sugar when high hormones are present and this contributes to PMS.

Blood sugar is regulated by two pancreatic hormones—insulin and glucagon. In a healthy metabolism, insulin keeps your blood glucose from going too high and glucagon keeps it from going too low.

With insulin-resistant metabolism or type 2 diabetes, insulin is either insufficient or cells are less responsive and have difficulty accessing blood glucose for energy.

All menstruating women experience some degree of insulin resistance during the high-hormone luteal phase.

Chronically elevated blood glucose levels can lead to a number of health concerns including cognitive decline, weight gain, accelerated aging, and nerve damage.

The guidance included in this post is intended for active women participating in some form of regular resistance training and exercise.
Information in this post and on this web site is provided for informational purposes only. The information is a result of practice experience and research by the author. This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. Do not use the information on this web site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always speak with your physician or another healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal, or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem.

Blood Glucose Primer

Glucose is your body’s primary energy source and it fuels all essential functions. Glucose is either provided by food when carbohydrates are consumed or liberated from your liver and muscle glycogen as needed.

During energy-rich states when food is available, your body breaks down food sugars and releases glucose into your blood. The rise in blood glucose prompts the release of insulin and cues your cells to absorb glucose for energy.

Insulin also signals your liver to store glucose for later use. As your cells and liver remove glucose from your blood, glucose concentrations go down and insulin returns to baseline levels.

When there is an energy demand in the absence of food and insufficient glucose is available in your blood, your body releases glucagon to signal the breakdown of liver and muscle glycogen into usable fuel (glucose).

Insulin keeps your blood glucose from going too high and glucagon keeps it from going too low.

In a nondiabetic metabolism, the interplay of these pancreatic hormones regulates blood glucose and keeps it in an optimal range of <100 mg/dL when fasting and <140 mg/dL after meals. (1)

With insulin-resistant metabolism or type 2 diabetes, insulin is either insufficient or cells are less responsive and have difficulty accessing blood glucose for energy. This condition produces erratic blood glucose levels with steeper spikes and a higher average baseline.

Risks of Chronic High Blood Sugar

Over time, chronically elevated blood glucose (hyperglycemia) can contribute to a number of health concerns including (3):

damage to blood vessels and nerves in the heart, brain, kidneys, eyes, and other tissues.
accelerated aging of vital organs (including skin)
impaired of cognitive function and memory
deterioration of teeth and gums
development of diabetes and other metabolic disorders
unwanted weight gain

Why Does it Matter For Women?

In menstruating women, the presence of elevated hormones in the luteal phase is associated with increased insulin resistance. (2)

If you are metabolically healthy, this slight increase may not put you anywhere near the thresholds for type 2 diabetes, but understanding the cyclical impact that your hormones have on blood glucose is an important pathway to metabolic health.

Additionally, addressing insulin resistance in the luteal phase can support:

better moods: extreme blood sugar swings have been associated with mood disturbances like anger, sadness, and anxiety. (5)
weight management: insulin resistance can make it hard for your body to switch from storing to burning fat for energy. (6)
improved energy levels: high blood sugar can cause fatigue when cells aren’t getting enough energy from glucose.

Learning more about your body’s changing patterns can help you make informed choices that support your metabolic and reproductive health.

The next blog in this series goes into a detailed account of how I identified my own blood sugar problem. I’m a storyteller and I won’t miss an opportunity to share my experience in the event that other women can relate. If you want to skip ahead to my blood sugar solution, read this instead: How to Manage Blood Sugar with Cycle Syncing.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022). Diabetes Tests, https://diabetes.org/diabetes/a1c/diagnosis
Yeung, E. H., Zhang, C., Mumford, S. L., Ye, A., Trevisan, M., Chen, L., Browne, R. W., Wactawski-Wende, J., & Schisterman, E. F. (2010). Longitudinal study of insulin resistance and sex hormones over the menstrual cycle: the BioCycle Study. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 95(12), 5435–5442. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2010-0702
Mouri MI, Badireddy M. Hyperglycemia. [Updated 2022 Apr 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430900/
Dey, S., Dasgupta, D., & Roy, S. (2019). Blood Glucose Levels at Two Different Phases of Menstrual Cycle: A Study on a Group of Bengali-speaking Hindu Ethnic Populations of West Bengal, India. The Oriental Anthropologist, 19(1), 55–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972558X19835371
Penckofer, S., Quinn, L., Byrn, M., Ferrans, C., Miller, M., & Strange, P. (2012). Does glycemic variability impact mood and quality of life?. Diabetes technology & therapeutics, 14(4), 303–310. https://doi.org/10.1089/dia.2011.0191
January.ai, “Glucose Monitoring, Blood Sugar And Weight Loss: Why It’s The Key To Losing Weight” (2021). https://www.january.ai/blog/why-glucose-monitoring-may-be-the-key-to-losing-weight/
Gonder-Frederick, L. A., Cox, D. J., Bobbitt, S. A., & Pennebaker, J. W. (1989). Mood changes associated with blood glucose fluctuations in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 8(1), 45–59. https://doi.org/10.1037//0278-6133.8.1.45