Diabetes and Sex
Scientists think that approximately 50% of individuals with diabetes will experience some sort of sexual dysfunction at some point. But even if diabetes doesn’t directly cause sexual dysfunction, other diabetes-related health issues can influence your sexual desire and might be a danger to intimacy within a relationship. It is very important for you to be educated and knowledgeable about these concerns, both to prevent health or sexual issues as much as possible and to be prepared to cope if they arise.
Sadly for those of us dealing with diabetes, sex is also something that our disease can disrupt. Sex involves the entire body, the nerves, the circulatory system, and the muscle system. It involves the mind, too — after all, as cliché as it is to compose this, arousal starts in the mind! And all of these are things diabetes can affect! So, let’s just go ahead and dive into the uncomfortable pool and tackle this, shall we?
Diabetes’ impact on sex
Improperly managed diabetes can injure your love life in numerous ways.
• High blood glucose can block capillary and damage nerves in the genital organs. These complications can avoid or compromise erections and ejaculation in men. They can dry up lubrication, cause painful sexual intercourse, or prevent orgasm in women.
• Hormonal changes such as low testosterone levels can take away sexual desire. Men with diabetes are two times as likely to have a low testosterone level as men without diabetes.
• Diabetes-related symptoms, such as fatigue, numbness, or pain, might make sex hard or less pleasant.
• The mental impacts of diabetes might stop people’s sexuality. “Such things as feeling unsightly, blaming yourself for diabetes, and depression might damage both libido and function. So can stress over health, money issues, and household issues,” I kept in mind after hearing a talk by sexologist Dr. Mitchell Tepper.
• The effects of medications, particularly drugs for high blood pressure and anxiety, can interfere with sexual function and desire.
• Low blood glucose can also disrupt sexual experiences. Like any exercise, sex can cause blood glucose to drop. It’s difficult to work with low blood glucose. Maybe inspect your sugar prior to starting to get romantic.
So there are a great deal of prospective problems, and they have the tendency to become worse with time. The good news is that the majority of the sex problems of diabetes can be prevented and dealt with. Those that can’t be repaired can be worked around.
Prevention and treatment
• Improve glucose control. Research studies show that getting glucose closer to normal enhances erection function and energy levels. Lower sugars will improve nerve function and so eliminate numbness and promote orgasm.
How to control glucose? There are many strategies you can see on sites like ours or gain from your health specialists. Exercise, lower-carb diets, and better medications will all help. Plant medicines, supplements, and increased fiber can decrease glucose, too.
• For erectile dysfunction (ED), there are the drugs Viagra (generic name sildenafil,) Cialis (tadalafil), and Levitra (vardenafil). These frequently work, however if they don’t for you, there are penile suppositories and injections that produce trusted erections. Some couples work these treatments into their foreplay.
If a man can get an erection but can’t keep it, a penis ring can be wrapped around the base of the penis when it gets hard. The ring keeps blood from draining of the penis however enables new members in, so the erection can improve as sex goes on.
See also: How to Treat Erectile Dysfunction?
Hand-operated or electric pumps can develop a vacuum around the penis, drawing blood in, developing an erection. Then you cover a ring around it as above. Prostheses can be implanted in the penis and get hard with the push of a button implanted in your lower abdomen. All these things work well for over 80% of users surveyed.
• For female sexual dysfunction, painful intercourse and lack of orgasm can be treated with estrogen rings or suppositories in the vaginal area. Ask your gynecologist. Dryness can be handled with commercially offered personal lubes. (Use a lot.) Changing positions may help; woman on top is frequently best for both partners.
• People who cannot feel touch or pressure in their genital areas may get a lot of enjoyment from a sex toy such as a vibrator. Nerves might then stay awake to take pleasure in other activity.
• If you are on antidepressant or high blood pressure medicines, ask your doctor if they might be disrupting sex function or desire. Consider asking to be switched to meds with less side effects.
• Get your testosterone levels checked (both men and women). Testosterone levels can be raised with prescription hormone supplements.
Sex is more than intercourse
Sexual dysfunctions can push you to attempt other methods of being sexual, manner ins which may be better than what you had previously.
Find out some sexual anatomy. In women, the majority of satisfaction nerves are beyond the vagina (the clitoris) or just within, not deep inside. There are things you can do with hands, mouth, toys, or other ways.
Women have other extremely sensitive places, like the G-spot, simply inside the vagina on the front side. Discovering these locations and learning to stimulate them can be better than sexual intercourse for numerous women.
Men likewise have lots of pleasure zones they may unknown about that can be promoted with hands, mouth, and toys. Again, use lubes, attempt different strokes, and take note of your partner’s reaction. Men can delight in sex and even have orgasms without an erection.
Thousands of couples have actually recovered their sex lives by expanding their series of sexual activities. And you can have pleasant intimacy without being sexual at all.
