This book is devoted to women with diabetes and to women at risk of diabetes. The primary aim
is to provide up-to-date information on current topics pertaining to diabetes and cardiometabolic risk
in women throughout the lifecycle.
The concept behind this book arises from the understanding that gender differences impact the pathophysiology
and clinical burden of diabetes in women. The fundamental differences between men and
women are primarily attributed to sex hormones, which define not only the sexually dimorphic traits but
also play an important role in regulating energy metabolism, body composition, and vascular function.
The book is structured into five main sections with a total of 23 chapters. The first section, “Sex
Differences in Cardiometabolic Risk”, reviews the differences between the sexes in energy balance
and body composition, the impact of menopause on these parameters, and the clinical expression and
burden of cardiovascular disease in women with diabetes. There is also special reference to the cardiometabolic
risk in women with PCOS and the concept of fetal programming of PCOS by androgen
excess. Section 2 focuses on the “Impact of Diabetes on Women’s Health”. It includes a chapter that
explores the impact of poverty and globalization on the emerging epidemic of obesity in developing
countries. Other chapters review depression, eating disorders, sexual health, and contraception in
women with diabetes. Fertility and pregnancy in women with PCOS is also reviewed with a special
focus on the metabolic aspects of the syndrome. “Diabetes and Pregnancy” is covered in Section 3.
The diagnosis and treatment of gestational diabetes, nutrition in pregnancy, prepregnancy counseling,
obstetrical and medical care of women with diabetes, preeclampsia, and the use of ultrasound in the
management of gestational and preexisting diabetes in pregnancy are reviewed. The increasing burden
of diabetes and gestational diabetes in developing nations is highlighted in Chapter 12. Section 4 is
devoted to the “Offspring of the Diabetic Mother”, and reviews the phenomenon of metabolic imprinting
as well as the genetic basis of the various forms of diabetes and the issue of breastfeeding. Lastly,
Section 5 summarizes in a chapter “The Disease Management of Women with Diabetes”.
The book Diabetes in Women is meant for physicians with an interest in diabetes: endocrinologists,
obstetricians, and gynecologists, generalists as well as medical students and those training in these
areas of health care. The text will also be of interest to clinical and basic scientists in the field. We
hope that the topics in the book will help improve the knowledge of diabetes in women and serve as
a stimulus for further research in this important area.
Each chapter was written by authors who are prominent in their respective fields. Without their
contribution this book would not have materialized. We are, therefore, indebted to all the authors, who
contributed their chapters to this volume.
We want also to extend our appreciation and gratitude to Paul Dolgert, Kevin Wright, and Gina
Impallomeni of Springer for their help throughout the preparation of the book. We owe special thanks
to Dr. Aris Veves, who inspired us with the idea for such a volume and guided us in our joint effort