Sexual dysfunction in female with Diabetes

The relationship between diabetes and sexual problems has long been recognised. It is well known that diabetes can have an enormous influence on male sexual function. Impotence is one of the most common symptom of the disease. But what is known about the influence of diabetes on female sexual functioning ? Joslin would not mention impotence in his diabetes manual until 1946. Discussing sexuality is still a taboo in sociey.
The sexual problem of women who have diabetes are still omitted from the literature. Concern about pregnancy though not female sexuality in women seems to have arisen from the discovery of insulin, insulin allowed diabetic women to be healthy enough to become pregnant and brought with it the problems of pregnancy including hypertension coma and infant mortality. Here is brief overview of the literatures review of sexual problems on diabetes female.
1- Kolodny (1971) found that among the women with diabetes 35% did not have orgasm during coitus, compared to 6% in the control group.
2- Anatomo-pathological study revealed that a large number of anorgastic women had lesion in their clitoral innervation, that were comparable to those found in the corpora cavernosa of men with erectile dysfunction.
3- Jansen (1981) reported problem is with arousal as shown in a decreased vaginal lubrication.
4- Women with T2 DM reported more sexual problems compared to women with T1 DM.
5- Newman (1986) revealed that 47% of participating women have sexual dysfunction. In order of importance 32% reported decreased sexual arousal (lubrication) 21% have decreased sexual desire, 21% have dyspareunia and 15% have problem with orgasm.
6- Campbell (1989) suggested that it was obesity in women with T2 DM rather than psychological or other factor that influenced their sexual dysfunctioning.
7- Wineze (1990) used a vaginal plathysmography in combination with visual erotic stimulation to objectively measure the level of arousal and find a significant difference between women with and without diabetes.
8- Women with diabetes are at increase risk for sexual problems. They are not only prone to experience a decrease in sexual desire and dyspareunia during sexual intercourse, but also are likely to experience decrease in sexual arousal involving slow or inadequate vaginal lubrication.
9- One study revealed that the prevalence rate of sexual dysfunction in diabetic men, diabetic women and control women are 22% 27% and 15% respectively.
10- In diabetic men, sexual dysfunction seems to be more related to somatic than to psychological factors and diabetic women seems to be more related to psychological than to somatic factors.

Conclusion- Good psycosexual counseling and use of vaginal lubricant can help women to overcome the painful sexual problems they may be facing.