Having trouble attaining or maintaining erection? For many males, this can be one of the first signs of diabetes, a link that humans established long ago. In his medical encyclopedia, Persian physician Avicenna (960 – 1037 AD) first mentioned the “collapse of sexual function” as a specific complication of diabetes. Yet it is only recently that the medical community has started openly discussing how to take charge of your sex life while managing diabetes.
While known best for causing erectile dysfunction (ED), diabetes is the culprit behind a host of sexual problems in men, like sexual desire disorder, premature ejaculation, and retrograde ejaculation. Any of these conditions can further kick him in the groin, so to speak, in also contributing to a decrease in frequency of sex and sexual satisfaction. Not surprisingly, those with diabetes are likelier than non-diabetics to report depressive symptoms.
When it comes to ED, an estimated 35-75 percent of men with diabetes will experience such at some point in their lives, with the disease hitting these males with a double whammy. Men with diabetes typically develop ED five to fifteen years earlier than men who don’t have diabetes. A 2003 study in Diabetes Care further found that diabetic men report more severe erectile functioning and worse intercourse satisfaction than non-diabetics with ED.
While diabetes can feel like the end of your sex life, it doesn’t have to be. It can, in fact, be a whole new beginning as couples strategize novel and creative ways to enjoy sexual intimacy. The key to realizing a healthy sex life while managing diabetes boils down to planning. The first step in this process involves working with your doctor in deciding upon the best treatment options for you.
Treatment options for difficulties with erection include:
• Oral medications, e.g., Viagra or Cialis
• Vacuum erection devices (a plastic tube fits over the penis to assist blood flow)
• Penile implants (inflatable cylinders placed inside the penis)
• Intracavernous injection therapy (medication injected directly into the erection chamber of penis)
• Intraurethral therapy (medication administered into the urethra via an applicator and suppository or pellet)
• Hormone replacement
• Oral herbal therapy, e.g., yohimbine
The best mode or combination of treatments will depend on your health and comfort level. In all cases, regular follow up with your physician is necessary since you may respond well initially, but not over time. Other factors further require that treatment be long-term.
ED becomes more common with age, with 50-60 percent of diabetic men over 50 years of age likely to have problems with erection. Sexual functioning is also further impacted by changes/impairments that occur with late-stage diabetes, primarily in the functioning of nerves, small blood vessels, and muscles.
In fielding these developments, lovers should strive for the following:
• Keep your blood sugar levels well-regulated and even since erectile function improves when blood-sugar is controlled.
• Aim to have sex when your energy levels are high.
• Take steps to combat depression, which can further hamper one’s sex life, e.g., exercise regularly.
• Work with a sex therapist or counselor if further help is needed.
Lovers should also work to maintain sexual intimacy that doesn’t necessarily include intercourse. Couples can remain sexually active and express their affection via outercourse, which involves activities like kissing, cuddling, erotic massages or baths, and strip teases. With intercourse no longer the goal, lovers can more easily lose themselves in the moment, experiencing sensations as never known, with the occasional unexpected outcome.
Contrary to popular belief, men can still experience orgasms and ejaculate despite having lost their ability to become erect or maintain erection. After all, orgasm is rooted in what’s going on between your ears and not necessarily between your legs.
See Related Disability Articles
For more information about having a sexual relationship with a disability, see Lovers with Disabilities Become Liberated with Tantric Sex.
Also see Erectile Dysfunction Treatments for Patients with Diabetes.
