Diabetes is already known to cause erectile dysfunction in men but until now there has been no data supporting the theory that the sexual health of women might be affected too. According to a recent study, levels of sexual desire and the amount of sexual activity engaged in by women who are diabetic and those who are not have been revealed to be the same however women who suffer from diabetes report less sexually satisfying events.
The study included women of all ethnicities who were between the ages of 40 and 80 and 2,270 women participated altogether. The group was divided into three and included those with diabetes who took insulin, those who had the disease but who did not take insulin and a control group who were healthy and did not have diabetes.
Out of the entire group, 486 were diabetics including 139 who took insulin and 63.7% of the whole group reported some sexual activity over a 3 month period. The research gleaned that those who were diabetic and treated with insulin were twice as likely to have problems specifically with lubrication and 80% of them had greater difficulty with trying to reach orgasm than healthy women. The study’s authors took into account factors such as race, weight, hormone therapy, age and of course, relationship status.
Knowing that diabetic women are more likely to encounter problems with sexual function means that this risk can be avoided with special diets and exercise and we should be more aware of the effects of this condition on our sexual health. It has also been suggested that symptoms of sexual dysfunction might be brought on by nerve damage caused by elevated levels of blood sugar. A study like this is important in the area of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) considering firstly, that FSD is barely recognised as a condition and also since in the area of treatment, there is next to nothing available.