Home Men's Health How Can Diabetes Affect You Sexually?

How Can Diabetes Affect You Sexually?

by Glenn Fitzpatrick
sugar and diabetes

Many studies have found that the body’s blood glucose levels and sexual health are connected in many ways. Those with normal blood glucose levels have low risk of erectile dysfunction and other sexual health problems, while those that have high blood glucose levels or diabetes have high odds of being afflicted by these medical conditions.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which the blood glucose or sugar levels are too high. If you have it, this means that your pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, which is the hormone responsible for keeping blood glucose or sugar levels normal. It has to be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible because it can cause a variety of symptoms and complications that can drastically lower your quality of life.

There are two types of diabetes, and they are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes:

People with type 1 diabetes experience blood glucose problems at an early age, usually when they were only kids or around their teenage years.  Their bodies are unable to produce enough amounts of insulin to manage their blood glucose levels properly.

Type 2 diabetes:

People with type 2 diabetes experience high blood glucose levels because of a number of reasons. In some cases, it is because they have poor nutrition and are overweight or obese. In other cases, it is due to not exercising or having a history of the disease in the family.

How Can You Prevent Diabetes?

In the case of type 1 diabetes, it is sad to say that you cannot protect yourself from it and you have to live the rest of your life with it. What you can do though is take a lifelong treatment of insulin to manage your blood glucose levels and be able to live your life normally. Everyday, people with type 1 diabetes have to administer insulin injections or some other prescription medications to keep their illness in check.

On the other hand, in the case of type 2 diabetes, there are many ways to lower your risk of it and avoid the dangers it can bring. By living a healthy lifestyle, you can build a strong defense against it. For instance, you should eat a healthy and balanced diet, exercise on a regular basis, quit smoking and other bad habits, and maintain a healthy weight.

What Sexual Health Problems are Caused by Diabetes?

woman seduces man in bed

There are many health problems that can occur because of diabetes. Some may be short-term and treatable, and others may be long-term and even be life-threatening.

If diabetes is not diagnosed or managed at the earliest opportunity, it can cause serious harm to the body, such as kidney failure, muscular problems, blindness, and nerve damage, and make you more likely to suffer from a heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular complications.

In addition to that, diabetes can negatively impact your sexual and reproductive functions, leaving you with:

  • Reduced libido or sex drive
  • Trouble getting an erection
  • Trouble maintaining a hard and long lasting erection
  • Decline in testosterone levels
  • Balanitis, which is the swelling or inflammation of the glans or head of your penis
  • Retrograde ejaculation, a condition in which the semen flows back into the bladder

What is the Link Between Diabetes and Low Libido or Sex Drive?

Your libido or sex drive differs from other people.  As you grow older, your levels of sexual desire vary too, as determined by certain biological and environmental factors. If, one day, you find yourself not as interested in sex anymore or you just completely lose all interest in sex, you may be suffering from something serious or severe that requires immediate medical attention.

Men who have diabetes tend to have a decline in sexual desire. Not only do their blood glucose levels get too high, but they are also bothered by discomforts and complications and low testosterone levels, making them not just up for any intimacy.

To prevent all of these from happening to you, you should go talk to a doctor. Discuss how to start monitoring your glucose or sugar intake to be able to maintain normal levels. You should also talk about the ways you can boost your testosterone levels, as testosterone is crucial to your libido and sexual health.

Does Diabetes Contribute to Erectile Dysfunction?

According to health experts, about four in five men with diabetes have twice the risk of having erectile dysfunction compared to men without diabetes. And, as they age, the number of those that are afflicted with both diabetes and erectile dysfunction rises too.

Diabetes is a serious health problem that needs to be addressed at the earliest chance because of how damaging it can be to the body. It not only can impair your erectile function, libido or sex drive, and other sexual and reproductive functions, it can also:

  • Damage your blood vessels and impair your blood circulation. If blood cannot flow to your penis, getting and sustaining erections can be a problem.
  • Damage the nerves in your penis, making sexual arousal difficult even after sexual stimulation.
  • Lower your testosterone levels, causing reduced libido or sex drive, bone and muscle loss, mood swings, weight gain, and other complications.

How is Diabetes Diagnosed and Managed?

There are different screening and testing methods used to diagnose diabetes. The following are some common examples:

Blood sugar test

checking blood glucose levels
  • This is done by taking a sample of your blood to determine how much blood sugar is present. If your levels are 200 milligrams per deciliter or higher, you may have diabetes.

Fasting blood sugar test

  • This is done by taking a sample of your blood after fasting overnight to determine your blood sugar levels. If your levels are less than 100 milligrams per deciliter, your blood sugar is normal. However, if your levels are 126 milligrams per deciliter or higher, you have diabetes.

To manage diabetes, you have to live a healthy lifestyle. Eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean met, and foods that are high in fiber and low in calories and fat. You should be more physical active, such as by walking, running, biking, or swimming on a regular basis.

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