Effects of Diabetes or Other Metabolic Disease on Sexual Wellness

By Dr Rahul Gupta , Sexology

For those living with Diabetes, multiple aspects of the disease can impact one’s sexual wellness. Sexual wellness is much more than sexual intercourse and includes our feelings, attitudes, self image and behaviors. It influences how we experience the world.

Metabolic Syndrome is a cluster of medical conditions such as:

1. Increased blood pressure,
2. High blood sugar,
3. Excess body fat around the waist,
4. Abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and lot more.

Metabolic diseases affect the ability of the cell to perform critical biochemical reactions that involve the processing or transport of proteins (amino acids), carbohydrates (sugars and starches), or lipids (fatty acids). By now you must have got an idea of what are metabolic diseases or so medically called metabolic syndrome.

Let’s now understand the ill effects of this cluster of medical state on your sexual wellness. Metabolic diseases are typically hereditary, yet most persons affected by them may appear healthy for years.

Common metabolic disease like Diabetes, High BLood Pressure and Obesity could affect your sexual life adversely:

How are Men affected?

1. Low Sexual Desire/Low Testosterone: People with Diabetes, Obesity, High Blood Pressure, Anxiety Depression have a high risk of low testosterone, which in turn affects the desire for sex. Inflammatory molecules crossing the blood-brain barrier if circulate in the area where there is sexual desire can cause such state to occur.
2. Erectile Dysfunction:It’s a state of Inability to have an erection. Poor Diabetes control for longer duration in terms of inadequate medication or inadequate self lead control actions such as little exercise, poor eating habits etc can damage the nerves which helps in arousal leading to Erectile Dysfunction. Nerve function plays an important role.
3. Unattainable Orgasm: The most needed moment of a sexual intercourse becomes unattainable to people with poorly controlled diabetes leading to neurovascular damage.
4. Painful Erection: Diabetic has a high risk of developing Peyronie’s disease in which a tissue inside the penis causes it to bend, resulting in painful erection.
5. Retrograde Ejaculation:It’s a state where some or all of a man’s semen enters the bladder instead of ejaculating. This state can also be attributed to poor diabetes control resulting into nerve damage.

How are Women affected?

1. Low Sexual Desire: Females with fluctuating sugar levels, Obesity, Fluctuating hormone levels and Psychological issues such as emotional stress too fall prey to decreased desire for sex.
2. Clitoral Stimulation Response Failure: Consequent to the nerve cell damage due to uncontrolled diabetes, it becomes difficult for the blood to flow to the genitals (Vagina and Clitoris) causing loss of sensation.
3. Vaginal Problems/Dryness: Vaginal infections, inflammation, nerve damage, urinary tract infections leads to painful sex.
4. Unattainable Orgasm: Sensation problems in the clitoris is essentially required for orgasm but If the nerves are damaged, then it is likely that the there is nothing to aid the orgasm.

High time to make changes in your life style:

• Quit Smoking and Drinking Alcohol.
• Exercise Regularly Do Yoga/Meditation – reduce your weight and stress and live healthy.
• Sleep Well – not less than 7 hours a day.
• Take some Aphrodisiacs to enhance your desire for sex.
• Eat a controlled diet which includes whole grain, fiber, fresh fruits and vegetables, and low-fat dairy products.

The most important step for both men and women with diabetes in improving their sexual wellness is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Keeping one’s blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol as close to target is very important. Working on a healthy diet and active lifestyle is essential and helps one feel both physically and emotionally well. The next step is to be informed.

Have a healthy Sex Life!