TUESDAY, April 7, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Reproductive-aged women with diabetes mellitus (DM) receive recommended preventive health services at a lower rate than those without DM, according to a study published online April 3 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Madeline L. Treasure, M.D., from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles, and colleagues compared the rate of receiving recommended preventive health services for reproductive-aged women (15 to 49 years) with and without DM in a scoping review. Four areas of preventive health services were examined: contraceptive counseling, age-appropriate cancer screening, preconception counseling, and recommended sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening. A total of 44 studies were included in the review.
The researchers found that compared with women without DM, those with DM consistently received less contraception management or contraception counseling. Lower rates of breast and cervical cancer screening were also seen among women with DM. Low rates of counseling for women with DM were suggested in studies of preconception counseling. No studies were identified that compared STI screening rates for women with and without DM. A lack of evidence-based interventions directed at expanding the provision of these preventive services to women with DM was identified.
"These findings are important because they identify that women with diabetes are not receiving recommended well-woman care, which is essential to support both managing their diabetes and their overall health," senior author Lauren E. Wisk, Ph.D., also from the David Geffen School of Medicine, said in a statement.