Why is This?

[Leanne2]

I'm a 61 year old M to F transsexual who has not transitioned. My blood sugar levels are borderline on being too high. I read an article that says that men who have a low T count are susceptible to high blood sugar readings and many end up being diabetic. The fix is raising their T levels. My T levels are low and my last estrogen level was 55. I obviously don't want to raise my T levels. My question is why don't natural women have high blood sugar readings when their T levels are low? Is there a doctor in the house? Leanne

[Areyan]

i'm no doctor but diabetes runs in my family. though i'm a trans guy i am of course, natally female and have not transitioned yet either. only your doctor could really answer this question but don't feel too put off. a lot of trans men have problems like PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and other "female" issues for which the treatment is hormonal. a lot of us choose to live with health problems like this rather than seek treatment. i haven't had any "female" checks for more than 10 years now. perhaps i should but i dun care for female hormones and that's all they will offer me. i think you're overly concerned about the T thing when it has pretty much nothing to do with it. i have several family members taking meds for diabetes and blood sugar related issues - none of them are on hormones.

add to that, if your doc wanted to stuff with your hormonal levels over a pre-diabetic condition i'd be changing doctors.

[Aprilrain]

Definitely a question for your doctor, though I don't think (s)he would prescribe T for diabetes, in fact I'm like 98% sure that wouldn't even cross his/her mind. If your blood sugar is "borderline" the answer is diet and exercise if it becomes worse than its oral insulin and worse yet injections. This is likely to have little baring on your ability to take estrogen if you so choose. They are more concerned about your cholesterol levels because that is what excess estrogen gets turned into.

[Jorja]

All the things you don’t want to hear! I know because I have fought this battle for years myself.

Do you exercise at least 30-45 minutes of walking or other cardiovascular exercise on a daily basis?

What causes high blood sugar in the first place? The answer to that is your diet. The simple fact is your blood sugar cannot be high unless you consume foods that are high in carbohydrates. My guess is that your diet consists of quite a few refined carbohydrates. These might include potato chips, soft drinks, bread, or other items made with white flour. You might be eating breakfast cereal or items that are sweetened with corn syrup or high-fructose corn syrup. In fact, biologically speaking, there is no way for your blood sugar to be high unless you are eating these foods in the first place. Certainly, you could experience high blood sugar from eating a lot of fruits if you ate nothing but fruits and didn't consume balancing quantities of protein and fat, but my guess is, based on the nature of your question and a lot of experience in talking to other people who are having trouble with blood sugar levels, you are probably consuming large quantities of refined carbohydrates. I'm not being blameful here, just matter-of-fact. This may mean giving up all breads and cereals, pastries, crackers, cookies, and other similar foods. Believe me -- you won't die from giving up these foods. In fact, the truth of the matter is that you will probably die early if you don't give up these foods. These foods are simply incompatible with healthy human beings and balanced blood sugar levels.

By the way, it's also possible that you have nutritional deficiencies that are part of the problem here, although the large problem is no doubt the foods you are choosing to consume. But you could have a deficiency in chromium, which is a trace mineral that plays an important role in insulin sensitivity, so you could supplement with chromium and see if that helps.
It's important to note that any of these changes should only be conducted with the expert advice and consultation of a physician or a qualified naturopath. Unless you are well-versed in blood sugar and human nutrition, you shouldn't tackle these issues in isolation. Make sure you get a qualified professional to help you with the transition, but also emphasize to those professionals that you are working toward a lifestyle change, rather than a quick fix.

There is no shortcut to doing this. And yet, at the same time, what really works in this case are strategies that are either dirt cheap or free. So, not only will you be much healthier if you adopt this new lifestyle, you will also save yourself a small fortune.

[Schatten Lupus]

I am not a doctor, but I come from a family plagued with diabetes that could probably have been avoided (as with the heart conditions my family has, and I'm pretty sure the high frequency of fried foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is probably more responsible than genetics) by exercise and diet. That will probably be what a doctor will suggest if your levels are borderline, and if that doesn't work then your doctor will likely prescribe insulin.
But I've never heard of a person being prescribed testosterone for diabetes, and considering their are some health risks involved that make a T-regiment a gray area (for women anyways) I would think it wouldn't be considered by a doctor. But even for men weight loss is usually the first thing any doctor will suggest and prescribe if the condition isn't too bad.

[Gina X]

I'm a diabetic and injecting insulin my Testosterone levels are normal for someone my age and weight (unfortunately) and my BG levels are just about maintained by my insulin dosage at the moment. I'm not a doctor but in all my years of being diabetic I've never heard of T levels affecting BG levels and believe me I've talked to a lot of doctors and specialists plus CD and lay people on the subject and never heard it mentioned before, but should there be any scientific fact I would be interested to hear it ..................

[donnalee]

The best way to reduce the chance or the severity of diabetes is to lose weight. I've been diagnosed as being diabetic for several years now, though not so severe as to need medication. Over the past year & 1/2 Ive dropped almost 40 lbs.; my last blood test showed me as being out of the diabetic range. I'm in my mid 60s and went through andropause about 10 years ago; although I haven't had a T test, it's obvious that it's dropped considerably since then.