Diabetes and Sex

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can lead to complications. In some cases, sexual performance can be affected by diabetes. Up to fifty per cent of men and twenty-five per cent of women may experience some kind of sexual problems or a loss of sexual desire as a result of the condition.

I am a diabetic man, what kind of problems could diabetes cause to my sex life?

For men, diabetes can cause damage to the nervous system over a sustained period of time (known as diabetic neuropathy.) One aspect of this is the potential for diabetes to damage the erectile tissue leaving it impossible for a man to achieve or maintain an erection. Almost one-third of men with diabetes suffer from ED.

Erectile dysfunction can be the way in which men discover that they have diabetes. However, through strict management if the disease through diet, exercise, pills and insulin injections, minor sexual problems usually recede and it is possible for the man to achieve and erection.

I am a diabetic woman, what kind of problems could diabetes cause to my sex life?

For some women with diabetes, vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina) can be recurrent. Bacterial vaginitis occurs due to yeast infection, and is the most common of the conditions. This can make sex painful, and is heralded by itching or burning sensations. Cystitis can also be a recurrent problem for women with diabetes.

Furthermore, some evidence indicates that, in a similar way to men being unable to maintain an erection, the woman’s clitoris may fail to respond to stimulation.

I am worried about my diabetes’ effects on my sex life, what should I do?

The initial action one should take it to contact your doctor and discuss it with him. Often, these issues can only be addressed by seeking professional help. Most doctors are used to discussing these types of issues, and will aim to assess whether your problems are physical or psychological in nature. Many cases can be helped through psychological methods.

Many men are choosing to use drugs to help their arousal, and some successful cases have been reported of diabetes an ED being aided by Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.

I’m not sure if the sexual problems are due to diabetes or not, what should I do?

The best thing to do is see your doctor. Tests can be conducted to discover whether the damage done to your nervous system by diabetes is affecting your sex life. If not, the problem may be psychological, and there is not reason why your sex life cannot recover.