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PAULINE (not her real name) has her medication routine down pat. Sitagliptin/ metformin, simvastatin, ferrous fumarate and vitamin C in the morning, and the same collection plus mecobalamin at night.

Each pill keeps her blood glucose level, cholesterol level, haemoglobin level, and heart and kidney health at the best form they can be considering her medical condition.

Pauline has type 2 diabetes, a consequence of her past struggle with gestational diabetes while pregnant with her third child more than a decade ago.

Throughout her pregnancy, both she and the unborn baby were subjected to constant monitoring of blood glucose levels.

Her life is not dissimilar to the estimated 15% to 20% of Malaysia’s population with various types of diabetes, of which more than half are women, according to International Diabetes Federation.

This year, the World Diabetes Day awareness campaign focuses on women and diabetes.

The campaign estimates that one in 10 women or some 199 million of the female population around the world is currently struggling with diabetes, with the number expected to grow to 313 million by 2040.

With two out of five women with diabetes being of reproductive age and one in seven births affected by gestational diabetes, it is important for the world to be aware of the effect of diabetes on women and figure out medical solutions to manage the odds.

Women with diabetes face higher difficulties in conceiving and many have poor pregnancy outcomes.

A combination of socioeconomic factors, lack of cost-effective diabetes prevention and early detection, misdiagnoses and outdated treatment methods, especially in developing countries, has women drawing the shorter straw against the diabetes-related odds already stacked up against them.

World Diabetes Day 2017 aims to bring to light the importance of affordable and equitable access for all women at risk of diabetes or living with diabetes to essential medication and technology, self-management education and information they require to strengthen their capacity to prevent type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes may not have a cure yet, but we can focus our efforts on detection, control and self-management of diabetes as well as improving the quality of life with diabetes.