This one goes out to all the lovers in the house. Did you know that diabetes can undermine a woman’s sex life? Although male erectile dysfunction and diabetes are a much-discussed phenomenon, the physical and emotional issues associated with diabetes that can affect a woman’s dissatisfaction with sex is hardly spoken about at all.
A recent study in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology sadly reports that close to a third of women with diabetes report low sexual satisfaction. Even worse women who take insulin to manage their disease are twice as unlikely to experience sexual satisfaction as their non-diabetic peers. Ouch!
Although erectile dysfunction and diabetes have been well documented, the study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, was one of the first to examine the sexual side effects of diabetes on women. Diabetes educator, Ann Albright, says that when glucose levels aren’t under control, a woman’s sex life pays the price.
“It’s not diabetes per se that harms your intimate life. It’s the complications of uncontrolled blood sugar levels that cause problems for both men and women — the only difference is that many women simply aren’t as aware of this complication as men are,” Albright concluded.
A groundbreaking 1971 study published on female sexuality in the journal Diabetes was one of the first research papers to examine the topic as it relates to diabetes. Sadly, the study reported that 35 percent of women with diabetes were unable to achieve an orgasm during intercourse, compared to just 6 percent of the women who didn’t have diabetes.
Chief clinical director of the Drexel Center for Women’s Health, Katherine Sherif, MD, author of the upcoming book Hormone Therapy: A Clinical Handbook, notes that diabetes could affect sexual function because of its impact on sex hormones can reduce libido, and affect blood flow and arousal.
When diabetes impairs men, it manifests as erectile dysfunction. In women, Dr. Spyros Mezitis says there is an important relationship between glucose and genital stimulation, although the effect isn’t as apparent. But when blood glucose is uncontrolled, Meztis says it negatively impacts the tiny blood vessels that feed our nerves and allow a woman to experience the full spectrum of intimate sensation.”
Due to diabetic complications, vaginal drying can occur due to high blood sugar levels. And because blood sugar also undermines blood vessels, it can result in less sensorial feeling in the vagina. Then there is the issue of vaginal infections that unmanaged blood sugar levels cause and the depression associated with diabetes management that can result in a loss of interest in sex.
The question of how improving diabetes management might improve intimacy remains unanswered, but women can take an array of practical steps to regain a vibrant sex life. Tips from medical professionals and sex experts to improve the quality of a female diabetics sex life include: using lubricant, oral sex, and prolonged foreplay, as well as experimenting with new sexual techniques to add some extra wow-factor to the experience. Reducing weight to a healthy level, quitting smoking and addressing diabetic related fears that psychology inhibits the desire for sex are also recommended.
