EPIC Diabetes Conference in Aurora addresses unique needs of women with diabetes

CBS News

02-05-2025

The Children's Diabetes Foundation is holding its 8th annual EPIC Diabetes Conference on Saturday, May 3, 2025. EPIC stands for Empowering Patients for Individualized Care. The Conference brings together experts from various aspects of disease care and gives patients and their families the opportunity to get their questions answered. Topics covered at the conference include the latest in technology, research, and care of the disease.
"It's a conference that's really an educational opportunity for people living with diabetes and their supporters, could be family, friends, could be extended family coming together to learn more about diabetes," said Dr. Sarit Polsky, Director of the Pregnancy & Women's Health Clinic at the Barbara Davis Center.
Among the presentations, there will be one on the impact of diabetes on women over the course of their lives.
"Everyone who is diagnosed with diabetes before adolescence has to deal with some challenges due to pubertal growth and increased insulin resistance," Polsky explained. "Women, on top of that, have to deal with changes in their glucose levels related to where they are in their menstrual cycle."
Hormones associated with a woman's reproductive system can impact her glucose levels and insulin tolerance. She'll see extra highs and lows throughout her monthly cycle, but then also through pregnancy and menopause.
"Pregnancy poses very unique challenges. In pregnancy, we're caring for not just one person but two, so we want to make sure the health of both the mother and the child," Polsky said.
High glucose levels during pregnancy can lead to large babies born with high blood sugar. If not checked, high glucose levels can also cause miscarriage.
"You can have a happy healthy pregnancy. You just have to work harder than someone who doesn't have diabetes," Polsky said.
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"I think a lot of women living with Type 1 diabetes, it can be a concern...on what's pregnancy going to look like? How am I going to deal with the hormonal changes?" said Sydney Lundgren, a Type 1 diabetic.
In the 18-years that Lundgren has been living with Type 1 diabetes, technology has transformed her care. She wears a continuous glucose monitor that regularly tells her what her blood sugar level is. She also wears an insulin pump which administers insulin when she needs it.
"I like to wear mine (devices) where you can see them for that very reason, I want people to come talk to me. I love talking about it," she said.
That kind of education is actually part of her job. Lundgren works for the Children's Diabetes Foundation, which is the fundraising arm for the Barbara Davis Center.
"I love getting to work with other people living with Type 1 every single day," she said with a smile.
As a woman living with Type 1, Lundgren deals with some extra highs and lows. She needs every bit of technology she can get to keep her blood sugar levels on an even keel.
I can tell where in my cycle I am based on what my blood sugar is," she confirmed.
Lundgren will face new challenges when she enters into menopause. Working with qualified doctors and getting thorough answers to her questions a long the way will be key to Lundgren's ongoing good health.
"I think education is a great way to be more supportive," she said.
LINK: For Tickets and Information for EPIC Diabetes Conference
The EPIC Diabetes Conference is Saturday, May 3, 2025 on the Anschutz Medical Campus.