[Menarche, menstrual cycle and fertility in diabetic patients]

Abstract

From observations of female type I diabetics, we collected data on menarche, menstrual cycle and fertility. 337 women answered our questionnaire which had been published in journals for diabetic patients. The data were correlated with age, diabetes duration, and the onset of diabetes. The mean age at menarche was inversely correlated with the age of the patients; in diabetics it was 0.8-2 years higher than in the population in which diabetes developed after menarche. As compared to a population of non-diabetics we observed an increase in mean age at menarche of 0.4-1.3 years. The increase was most pronounced if diabetes developed between the age of 3-8 years. The prevalence of primary amenorrhoea in diabetics was 3.6%, in the controls and in diabetics with late onset 1.5%. Irregularities of the menstrual cycle were observed more often in diabetics than in the controls. The prevalences of oligomenorrhoea and secondary amenorrhoea were 14 and 7% in the group of patients with diabetes onset before menarche. In the group with late onset of diabetes the prevalence of secondary amenorrhoea was 12%. Irregularities of the menstrual cycle were found more frequently at the time of diabetes onset, although 76% of the patients had not remarked any change in the frequency of menstrual bleedings. With increasing diabetes duration, the frequency of bleedings normalized. 70.5% of the patients aged 35 or more had spontaneous conceptions, 2.1% were sterile. Both values are not significantly different from the data of the control group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)