New Study Examines the Impact of Periods on Type 1 Diabetes
Diabetes Center Berne and Tidepool are recruiting for a study that examines the menstrual cycle in people with type 1 diabetes. Participants will receive financial compensation.
Trial Name: DCB x Tidepool Menstrual Cycle Study
Diabetes Type: Type 1 diabetes
Trial Sponsor: Diabetes Center Berne
What is the study researching?
Diabetes Center Berne (DCB), a Swiss foundation that aims to identify unmet needs in diabetes technology, is working on a study with the nonprofit diabetes app developer Tidepool which is collecting data from the Tidepool data platform from women in the U.S. with type 1 diabetes.
The study objectives are to identify changes in blood glucose levels and insulin requirements throughout the menstrual cycle for people with type 1 diabetes, better understand the relationship between menstrual periods and insulin-dependent diabetes, and support the development of solutions to reduce the amount of user input required, ultimately lowering the burden of diabetes management throughout the menstrual cycle.
Why is this study important?
DCB researchers noticed that women with diabetes often said their hormonal cycles had an impact on blood glucose management, but there have been few published studies to date with sufficient data.
Martina Rothenbühler, DCB’s scientific program manager, said that she plans to analyze data on the entire female menstrual cycle. The goal is for any new insights from the study to help develop tailored treatment strategies for menstruating people facing diabetes challenges every month.
“It’s vital to offer young women diagnosed with diabetes some perspective, support and tools that will help them navigate the disease throughout their lives,” Rothenbühler added.
What does the study entail?
Participation in this project will involve completing a questionnaire about your diabetes management and reproductive history.
If you are eligible for this study, you will be asked to upload anywhere from four to 12 months of CGM, insulin pump, and menstrual cycle data. You will need to provide consent for the project collaborators to use your anonymized data for research. Note that you will need to be at a computer to fill out the screener and upload your data.
The study’s data is fully anonymized, which means neither DCB nor Tidepool will have access to any personal identifying information connected to your diabetes data. Once you have completed the study, you will receive a $100 Mastercard gift card.
Find more information about the project here.
Are you interested in participating?
You may be eligible if you:
- Are a resident of the U.S.
- Are living with type 1 diabetes and are 18 or older
- Currently have a menstrual cycle
- Use a CGM as well as an insulin pump or a smart pen for most of your insulin delivery
- Are willing to share anonymized diabetes data and menstrual cycle data
To enroll or learn more about this study, visit the Menstrual Cycle Study homepage and/or email [email protected]. If you have questions about how diabetes data will be anonymized during the study, email Tidepool’s support team at [email protected].
More coverage of the intersection between women’s health and diabetes:
- Harnessing the Power of Periods for A1C Testing
- How Does Menopause Affect Diabetes?
- Does PCOS Raise the Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?
Photo credits: iStock (top); courtesy Tidepool (bottom).