J Gen Intern Med
Preventive care gaps worse for women with diabetes
Clinical takeaway: Women with diabetes are more likely to be missing key preventive and reproductive health services. Clinicians should ensure routine screening and counseling are not overlooked during diabetes care.
Chronic disease management may crowd out routine preventive care, leaving gaps that can affect women’s long-term health and pregnancy outcomes.
This scoping review included 44 studies of patients ages 15 to 49 with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Across studies, lower use of contraception services, cervical and breast cancer screening, and preconception counseling was consistently reported compared with those without diabetes. Differences were substantial across services. Contraceptive care was received by 48% of patients with diabetes vs. 62% without the disease. Cervical cancer screening was consistently lower (38%–79% vs. 46%–86%), as was breast cancer screening (38%–69% vs. 54%–82%).
Preconception counseling rates were especially low, just over 1% in some studies. No studies assessed screening for sexually transmitted infections, highlighting a gap in the evidence.
“Providers need to be aware that they should not forget to provide these essential services for women with diabetes,” said senior author Lauren Wisk, an associate professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Source: Treasure ML, et al. J Gen Intern Med. April 3, 2026. Preventive Health Services in Reproductive-Aged Women with Diabetes Mellitus: A Scoping Review