New book on women's health and diabetes care

"If there is anything that this disease has done to improve my life, it taught me at a young age how to take care of myself." - Nikki Peterson, 24 years old, diabetes for 14 years.

Like Nikki, women with diabetes must adapt to their unique, individual challenges associated with their disease. From sexual dysfunction and reproductive concerns, to oncological risks, to depression, many women find the disease itself is a small part of the bigger picture of living with diabetes.

In this one-of-a-kind book, Robert E. Jones, M.D., FACP, FACE, professor of internal medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Utah School of Medicine, and Kathleen B. Digre, M.D., professor of neurology at the U of U School of Medicine, take an in-depth look at this issue and provide a practical approach for health care providers caring for women with diabetes. The book was written, compiled, and edited by world renowned experts in women's health and diabetes care from the U of U and the surrounding area.

Diabetes: Focus on Women was made possible in part by a grant from the Office of Women's Health (OWH) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Utah Women's Health Network was also established as part of the proposal to the OWH, and the book is a product of the partnership between the U of U Center of Excellence in Women's Health, the Utah Department of Health, the Association for Utah Community Health, and the Utah Navajo Health System.

"This very readable book makes an excellent presentation of the challenging aspects of managing diabetes, and in the process other health care issues that are specific to women," says David N. Sundwall, M.D., executive director of the Utah Department of Health. "This type of information will be an invaluable resource for all involved in clinical care, the women they serve, and is long overdue."

Source: Utah Diabetes and Endocrinology Center