Diabetes support for members

Type 1 diabetes happens when your immune system mistakenly prevents your pancreas from making enough insulin. Doctors don’t yet know exactly what causes type 1 diabetes. But research suggests that a person’s genetics and environment could play a part.

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes can show up at any age. They can also quickly get worse over a few weeks or months. Symptoms often include:

Effective treatments for type 1 diabetes combine blood sugar monitoring with insulin injections or an insulin pump. By pairing these treatments with healthy eating and physical activity, people with type 1 diabetes can live long, full and active lives.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It develops when your body doesn’t use insulin properly. This can result from a combination of risk factors, including being overweight, older or inactive, or having a family history of type 2 diabetes. It’s often diagnosed in adults after age 45. But it’s also becoming more common in children and teenagers.

For many, type 2 diabetes starts as prediabetes. This is a condition where your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be diabetic. People with prediabetes are at high risk for type 2 diabetes. But by making changes to how you eat and exercise, it may be possible to delay or even prevent it.

Some people with type 2 diabetes don’t have symptoms at all. But most have minor symptoms that develop gradually over several years, like:

Type 2 diabetes can be managed with prescription medicines and lifestyle changes. These adjustments include getting to a healthy-for-you weight, better eating habits and increased physical activity. With the right approach, you can live well and live actively with type 2 diabetes.

Women who don’t already have type 1 or type 2 diabetes may develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy. This can happen due to insulin resistance caused by placental hormones or when the body can’t meet its increased need for insulin during pregnancy.

Mothers with gestational diabetes can have few to no symptoms. If symptoms develop, they may include:

Expecting mothers are screened for gestational diabetes. If you develop it, you’ll be connected to specialists who can help you adjust your diet and physical activity. You may also get prescription medicine if necessary.

Following birth, gestational diabetes usually passes. Your clinician will check your blood sugar levels during postnatal visits and help with any follow-up treatment you need.