Diabetes & The Body

Diabetes In Women: The Sexual Aspect

Introduction

Diabetes can have an adverse affect on reproductive health and sexual desire, but for some, asking questions about it can be an uncomfortable countenance.

Compared to the erectile dysfunction experienced by diabetic men, women with diabetes are subtle to the sexual dysfunction; more problems exist in them and hence deserve more attention.

Issues with arousal and sexual dysfunction among women seem to be discussed less frequently even though 43% of women report problems with sexual dysfunction. These problems may remain untreated for months or even years and because women are often reluctant to bring up the topic with their healthcare provider.

Role of Glucose

Uncontrolled blood glucose levels can lead to disaster of a woman's reproductive system, as well as her overall health. High blood sugars promote yeast infections and vaginal irritation. In addition, vascular damage caused by poorly controlled diabetes restricts the blood flow to the vagina, which causes vaginal dryness and interferes with arousal and low estrogen levels can also cause lubrication problems. Women who have neuropathy, or nerve damage, to the genital area, the reproductive organs, and/or the vagina may have difficulty achieving orgasm.

Most diabetic women experience loss of vaginal lubrication, which is one aspect of initial sexual arousal in women. For diabetic women, it may take longer for the vaginal lubricant to appear during foreplay, and when it does, there is not much of it, leading to vaginal dryness.

There are two main complications in diabetic women that can cause this.

• One is nerve damage or neuropathy caused by diabetes, and
• The other is damage to blood vessels.

The neuropathy may prevent the woman from experiencing genital arousal during sexual stimulation, and the blood vessel damage may limit the fluid available for lubrication. Both these problems are worse in women who have poor blood glucose control.

There are individual differences, some women produce less vaginal lubrication than others, and this may be exacerbated in a diabetic woman. Diabetic women who are post-menopausal will have increased problems with vaginal dryness, since the loss of oestrogen also contributes to this.

There are other factors such as the stage of the menstrual cycle, stress and pregnancy and childbirth, which may also decrease vaginal lubrication during sex.

Psychology

Type 2 diabetes often goes hand-in-hand with weight problems, which may make a woman feel unattractive and lessen her desire for sex. In addition, the mechanics of treatment such as wearing a pump, for example, or the need to do a blood sugar check before sex may make some women self-conscious with their partners and less likely to initiate or participate in sex.

Depression and anxiety, particularly in newly diagnosed women who are just learning about diabetes management, can also play a part in decreasing sexual desire.

Fear may also be prevention. Some women are afraid that the physical exertion of sex may trigger a hypoglycemic attack. Treating your lovemaking like any other exercise routine in terms of when you take medication and monitoring your sugar levels can help to alleviate this fear.

Factors Contributing

A host of other factors can contribute to sexual difficulties in diabetic women, including:

• Medication: Certain drugs, such as antidepressants, birth control pills, tranquilizers, and high blood pressure medication can cause decreased libido as a side effect.
• Menopause: "The change" and its effects on the body may cause a serious change in your sex life. Fortunately, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and other treatments are available to help.
• Neurogenic bladder: Women with nerve damage to the bladder may have incontinence problems that make sex difficult and/or embarrassing.
• Vaginismus: Some women experience vaginismus, a tightening of the vaginal walls, which can make penetration painful or impossible.

There are a slew of other ways in which diabetes disproportionately affects women. Diabetes-associated coma, stroke, nerve damage, urinary tract infections and hypertension have all been shown to occur more frequently among women.