13The Diabetes Care Gap Most Women Never Hear About7 min read

What Women Can Do to Advocate for Themselves

Dr. Narula suggested that women with diabetes can take a more active role in ensuring their preventive care doesn’t get lost. That means keeping track of which screenings are due and when, asking directly whether recommended services have been addressed, and not assuming that a busy specialist visit covered everything that needed to be covered. The presence of a chronic condition doesn’t replace the need for standard preventive services — it adds to it. Knowing what care is recommended by age and health status gives women the information they need to ask the right questions when they’re in the room with a provider.

Why Primary Care Physicians Are the Missing Link

Several physicians interviewed in connection with the study pointed to the same structural solution: a primary care doctor who takes ownership of the full preventive care picture. Dr. Neha Vyas, a primary care physician at Cleveland Clinic, described prevention as the core function of primary care — the bread and butter of what those visits are for. For women with diabetes who primarily see specialists, adding a primary care relationship creates a dedicated point of accountability for screenings, counseling, and the full range of recommended services. It doesn’t resolve every system-level problem, but it closes one of the most common routes through which care gets missed.

The Core Takeaway From the Research

The findings from this meta-analysis point to a consistent, multi-category pattern: women with diabetes are not receiving the preventive care that women their age should be getting, and that gap has real consequences over time. The risks involved — undetected cancer, poorly managed pregnancies, missed opportunities for early intervention — are largely preventable with the right care in place. As Dr. Narula summarized, preventive care should not become a secondary priority simply because a chronic condition like diabetes is also being managed. Both matter. The challenge for patients, providers, and the healthcare system broadly is making sure both actually happen.