Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jul 31, 2025
Date Accepted: Feb 17, 2026
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Amplifying women's voices on diabetes control and menstruation from Reddit: A content analysis.
ABSTRACT
Background:
Women with diabetes struggle to stabilize their blood glucose during various phases of their menstrual cycle. Even though there is no consensus on which week they struggle the most with persistently high blood glucose levels, women usually seek help from other women with diabetes and the medical team to manage this condition. In recent days, women use Reddit platforms anonymously to discuss their symptoms and management strategies regarding managing diabetes in various phases of menstruation.
Objective:
To explore how women with diabetes discuss menstruation and its impact on diabetes management in anonymous online communities like Reddit.
Methods:
Posts were collected from five popular diabetes-related subreddits that were submitted prior to January 1, 2025, and filtered using menstruation-related keywords. Thirty-five unique posts were analyzed by two independent coders applying a structured codebook to identify themes and subthemes.
Results:
Twenty-seven posts addressed diabetes management during menstruation. Users reported emotional (n=9) and physical (n=14) effects, irregular cycles (n=12), and hormonal comorbidities (n=3). Management strategies included technology use (n=5) and medical consultations (n=11), though experiences with healthcare providers varied.
Conclusions:
Women with diabetes experience glycemic fluctuations during menstruation and often seek support through both technology and healthcare. However, gaps in provider guidance and hormonal awareness persist. These findings underscore the need for integrated care and further research into the intersection of menstrual health and diabetes management.
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Copyright
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