PCOS and type 2 diabetes: what to know

Insulin resistance means the body does not respond to insulin as effectively as it should. The pancreas may compensate for a time, but blood glucose can rise. PCOS commonly involves hormone and ovulation changes, and insulin resistance may make some PCOS features harder to manage. This does not mean that everyone with PCOS will develop diabetes.

Prediabetes is a blood-sugar pattern that can precede type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes may cause thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, tiredness or slow-healing wounds, although some people have no clear symptoms. A test is needed; symptoms alone cannot diagnose it.

Ask your GP or endocrinology team which blood-glucose tests are appropriate and how often they should be repeated. Share your menstrual pattern, medicines, family history and any previous results. If you have prediabetes or diabetes, follow the agreed plan for meals, movement, weight support if relevant, medicines and home monitoring.

Choose practical changes you can maintain, such as regular activity, balanced meals and sufficient sleep. Do not change diabetes medicine without advice. Foot care, dental care and attendance at scheduled reviews can help identify problems early, particularly when blood glucose has been difficult to control.

Get urgent medical help for severe vomiting, marked drowsiness, confusion, difficulty breathing, fainting or inability to keep fluids down. Seek prompt advice for repeated low-blood-sugar symptoms such as sweating, shaking, dizziness or confusion, and for a wound that becomes increasingly red, warm, swollen or painful.

Which test should check my blood glucose or average glucose? Do I have prediabetes, and when should it be reassessed? Could my PCOS medicines affect glucose? What should I do if I develop low-blood-sugar symptoms? Do I need checks for blood pressure, cholesterol, kidney health or nerve symptoms?