I thought about how I was going to write this post many, many times. I so wanted to come up with a cute or clever euphemism for what I’m about to discuss, but really, that old “Ant Flo” cliche is all I could come up with, and that’s so overplayed.

If that didn’t give you a clue as to what this is all about, then look at the title again.

Still nothing?

Okay, this post is about my period.

Yep, the menstrual cycle, that time of the month, the curse…whatever name you want to call it, I’m talking about it today. And if you’re already cringing, chill. I promise there’s no need to, I’m not about to get graphic on you or anything.

Rather, I’m about to write about a reality that many women with diabetes face: The week leading up to a period, or the week that it starts, can be hell. And I’m not just referring to cramps or mood swings.

I’m talking about blood sugars, of course. I’ve thought about how my period and my diabetes interact more and more lately because of an “interesting” (that’s the nice way to put it) pattern that I’ve noticed each week leading up to my period for the last few months, and that’s how insulin essentially becomes as effective as water when I get it pumping through me: That is to say, my insulin intake has nearly doubled the week leading up to my period, and it’s something I never really noticed until recently.

I think I caught onto the trend in April. The week before my period started, I blamed my bad blood sugars and higher insulin intake on the fact that we were only a few weeks into quarantine, so it was natural that my body was having a tough time adjusting.

In May, I wondered whether I was dealing with faulty pods or bolusing incorrectly for my foods.

By the time June rolled around, though, I realized that there was something different at play here.

Last month, I dealt with the issue by raising my temp basal for most of the day – a 95% increase for 6-8 hours through the morning and afternoon – and giving myself 2-3 units more than I normally would at mealtimes. I still didn’t have great numbers, but they were better, and that was all that mattered to me.

But this month? I’m totally confused because this “periodic problem” did the opposite of what I expected it to do…the week before my period, it seemed like I need LESS insulin! It was simultaneously bemusing but exciting. I’ll never necessarily complain about having to take less insulin, or being able to eat an entire blueberry muffin without needing to bolus for it (yes, that really happened), but damn…some consistency here would be nice.

Who knows what my body will decide to do next month. At least I feel a little bit better knowing that there is some sort of pattern going on here that I need to pay attention to, so I’ll continue to monitor so I can try to anticipate what the week before my period will look like for my blood sugars.

Just one more reason why I kind of dread “that time of the month”, but also another justification to eat more chocolate in order to cope with it when it does come ’round.