Millions of women have diabetes. It is a major cause of death and a major contributor to heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer of women.

Diabetes can create a multitude of problems in women. For example, deaths from heart disease in diabetic women rose 23 percent over the past 30 years, compared to a decrease of 27 percent in nondiabetic women, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Women with diabetes have a greater risk than nondiabetic women of developing sexual dysfunction, yeast infections and urinary tract infections. Even for women who do not have diabetes, up to 8 percent of pregnancies result in gestational diabetes. Although this form of diabetes disappears after delivery, women who have had gestational diabetes have a much greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Additionally, women are prone to many diabetic complications such as eye disease and stroke. In some cases, the rates of these complications are higher for women than men.