Diabetes may cause Impotence

Diabetes can adversely affect the sexual ability of both men and women- causing impotence or Erectile Dysfunction ( EDF ) in men.

Long standing high blood glucose due to Diabetes adversely affects the nerves, they lose their ability to properly conduct nerve signals. In a complication of Diabetes called Diabetic autonomic neuropathy, this may happen to nerves supplying the blood vessels of the male sexual organ - penis, hence even after appropriate sexual stimulation the corpus callosum ( a spongy area inside the penis which gets filled up with blood and causes erection ) does not adequately get filled up and erection does not take place- leading to impotence.

Approximately 50% of men with long standing Diabetes also have Erectile dysfunction ( impotence). In case of any such complaints efforts should be made to strictly control Blood Sugar levels and take appropriate treatment .

Women

A frequent complication of diabetes in both men and women is infections of the genital organs. Due to poor local immunity, uncommon fungal infections may infest vagina and become difficult to treat with conventional therapy, this results in various types of fowl smelling, unpleasent discharge as well as persistent itching in the vagina- in females.

Men

Males may have infections of the foreskin as well as  the sensitive areas of penis, this may cause discharge and pain in the sensitive male organ, adversely affecting the sexual capability. Diabetes may be the cause of Chronic infections of the penis and its foreskin-called - balanitis or balanoposthitis, which may be due to fungus, virus or bacterias; these may have been caused due to an affected partner as well.

Erectile dysfunction in men due to diabetes is often undiagnosed and left untreated. This becomes a major cause of depression in diabetes, leading to a setback in personal lives and affecting blood sugar control as well.

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