Many women with diabetes are not aware of the potential effects of diabetes on sexual health. Over time, high blood sugar can damage nerves and blood vessels throughout the body, including those to the woman’s genitals.
Women with Diabetes may experience decreased comfort during sex due to diminished blood supply, lubrication, and sensation. They are more likely to experience sexual dysfunction than their diabetic-free counterparts. Physical changes caused by Diabetes can affect a woman’s level of comfort and sexual self-esteem as well as the quality of her relationship with her partner.
If Diabetes is properly managed, most of the problems associated with it can be cured. In this article we shall discuss on how Diabetes can affect women sexually, the various problems women with Diabetes face and possible solutions to make sexual experiences enjoyable for women with Diabetes.
How Diabetes disrupts female sexual function
Diabetes harms sexual health through nerve damage, poor circulation, and hormonal changes caused by high blood sugar. These changes affect arousal, lubrication, and orgasm more than desire itself. Diabetes, a chronic condition, significantly increases the risk of sexual dysfunction in women.
Here is how Diabetes specifically affects women sexually:
- Less lubrication: High blood sugar can damage the tiny blood vessels, reducing the moisture your body would normally produce during arousal.
- Vasculitis: The decrease in sensation in the genital areas can make it more difficult to get aroused and to have an orgasm.
- Hypoactive sexual desire (reduced sexual drive) – A person feels little to no sexual desire for their partner. As a result, they engage in little to no sexual behavior with their partner.
- You are more susceptible to infection, including vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections, many of which are painful.
- Key role insulin resistance plays in decreasing sex drive and detail the sometimes confusing roles of estrogen and testosterone.
- Painful sex (dyspareunia): vaginal dryness is often accompanied by nerve problems that cause pain or discomfort during penetration.
Common sexual symptoms in women with Diabetes
Women with Diabetes often experience a pattern of sexual symptoms that builds over time as blood sugar control worsens. These symptoms affect physical comfort, emotional well-being, and relationships. Low libido in women is particularly common due to hormonal disruption from insulin resistance.
Some of the most common sexual symptoms include:
- Unwelcome decrease in arousal: Lack of arousal even when you are thinking about sex.
- If vaginal atrophy or dryness occurs then the body stops producing the natural lubrication that would normally occur and sex can become uncomfortable.
- Pain on sexual contact can have several causes like vaginal dryness, infections or reduced elasticity of the vagina and other body parts.
- Neuropathy can reduce the sensitivity in the genitals required to achieve an orgasm.
- Libido Decreased. Low libido results from hormonal changes and fatigue which decrease the person’s desire to engage in sex.
What can stop sex being enjoyable for women? Recurrent yeast infections and UTIs (urinary tract infections) are two of the most common problems that affect many women. Is it just that you need to do more kegels? Or could your sex life be being sabotaged by something more complicated?
Why do these symptoms develop over time?
Sexual dysfunction in Diabetes has a predictable pattern of worsening with severity of the illness. Early in Diabetes, individuals and their partners notice decreased lubrication, diminished sexual desire, and inadequate arousal. As peripheral nerve damage (neuropathy) worsens, decreased sensation further troubles the affected person. Poor blood sugar control can worsen these problems.
Key factors that worsen sexual symptoms include:
- Disease duration: Symptoms tend to develop after 5 to 10 years of diabetic illness that is inadequately controlled.
- What are your Blood Sugar Levels? High A1C levels equal worse sex.
- Hormonal Imbalance – What Causes It? – Obesity – The extra body weight can increase insulin resistance and worsen the hormone imbalance.
- Smoking: Further damages blood vessels and decreases blood supply to the sexual organs.
- Some Diabetes medications have the effect of making you feel tired and can also add to your dryness symptoms.
Medical treatments that help restore sexual function
While some people with Diabetes-related sexual dysfunction find that their symptoms are relieved through lifestyle changes, others may find that they need help from prescription medical treatments. These treatments can help the symptoms of sexual dysfunction due to diabetes, even in people for whom lifestyle changes have not been sufficient.
Effective medical interventions include:
- Vaginal estrogen is usually delivered in cream or insert form and is used to restore tissue health and lubricate the vagina in postmenopausal women.
- Ospemifene is an oral hormone medication that has an effect on the elasticity of the tissues of the vagina and treats painful sexual intercourse.
This non-hormonal, non-prescription product stimulates skin cells in the vagina to regenerate new, healthier tissue, and creates a moist environment that enables women to experience natural sexual gratification.
- Sildenafil (Viagra): It has been found to increase blood flow and facilitate the female arousal response in diabetic women.
In addition to optimal nutrition, adequate sleep, stress management and regular exercise, having balanced levels of hormones is essential to good health. Identifying any hormonal deficiencies can help us develop a treatment plan that is appropriate for you. Testing for several different hormones will help us determine if hormone replacement therapy is necessary.
Practical steps to improve sexual health with Diabetes
Unlike many diabetic women who report negative sexual functioning, a large cross-sectional study of women with diabetes found that for most women, management of diabetes and related issues such as symptom relief, emotional well-being and lifestyle changes can improve sexual functioning. Blood sugar control is a critical factor in female sexual functioning, and in addition to healthy lifestyle habits and good general health care, treatments and medications focused on diabetic symptoms and co-morbid conditions also may play a role.
Some effective management strategies include:
- Maintaining normal blood sugar will help to maintain circulation, keep the joints well lubricated and even improve sensation. Generally speaking, keeping the A1C under 7% can make a huge difference..
- Regular exercise will improve blood supply to the sexual organs and increase your energy and vitality for more meaningful and fuller sexual contact.
- Health through Weight Management: Being several pounds overweight can negatively impact insulin sensitivity and hormone balance. Losing 5 to 10% of body weight, however, solves these problems and puts you on the road to health.
- Consider Consulting Specialists: Gynecologists: These specialists may wish to be involved in your care to treat certain issues, and can work alongside your Diabetes team to address sexual issues that you are experiencing.
Conclusion
A women’s sex life may be affected by diabetes because of nerve damage, decreased blood flow, hormonal changes, and frequent infections, leading to symptoms of vaginal dryness, painful sexual activity, decreased sexual desire, delayed orgasm, and decreased sexual libido.
High blood sugar can cause serious damage to tissues and nerves of the vagina and to blood vessels. Fortunately, most symptoms can reverse within a few months with good glucose control and treatment of infection, and can be permanent if the woman also uses lubricants, gets more exercise, loses weight and gets good medical care.
These steps will help you get back to being comfortable, confident and sexy. But remember the most important advice comes from your doctor – on your Diabetes and your sexual health.
Written by t64094220@gmail.com
