Diabetes doesn’t treat men and women the same. Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease (the most common diabetes complication) by about four times in women but only about two times in men. Women are also at higher risk of other diabetes complications, like blindness.

If you’re a woman with diabetes, you may need to change your management plan from time to time, depending on what’s happening in your life. But no matter where you are or what you’re doing, you can’t go wrong with the basics:

• Check blood sugar regularly
• Eat healthy food in the right amounts
• Be active on most days