Sexual impotence is often a taboo subject, but it affects the lives of many men and women every day around the world. And even though many people want to avoid talking about it, it’s something that needs to be discussed with a doctor so it can be resolved in the right way. One of the causes of impotence is diabetes, a disease that causes the blood to have an excess of sugar. But after all, what is the connection between diabetes and impotence? That is exactly what today’s text is going to discuss. But first, do you know exactly what these two things are?
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, which means an increase in blood sugar levels. This happens due to a defect that prevents the pancreas from producing enough insulin to control these blood sugar levels in a person, or when the insulin produced is not effective. If the insulin produced by the pancreas is not enough or not effective, the blood vessels can become damaged, which can lead to various other complications such as necrosis of certain limbs and even acute myocardial infarction. Diabetes can arise for several reasons, from genetic causes to unhealthy lifestyle habits and a poor diet. There are several types of diabetes, with Type 1 and Type 2 being the most common as they affect a much larger number of people. However, besides these, we can also mention pre-diabetes, which is a condition that can lead to one of these two types mentioned earlier, and gestational diabetes, which only occurs when a woman is pregnant.
What is Sexual Impotence?
After better understanding what diabetes is, it’s also important to understand what sexual impotence is so you can comprehend the link between these two things. In short, when talking about men, sexual impotence is the difficulty or even inability to maintain an erection that allows for satisfactory sexual intercourse. Sexuality is an important part of everyone’s life. That’s why, when a man suffers from impotence, it’s important to seek help and treatment. This problem can have various origins, from psychological to physical, such as diabetes, for example. And this is where the two topics converge.
Does Diabetes Cause Sexual Impotence?
As you may already have realized, yes, diabetes can cause sexual impotence. In fact, it is estimated that between 35% and 75% of men with the disease will experience some degree of impotence in their lives. Additionally, the occurrence is much higher among older men, especially those over 60. That doesn’t mean that all men with the disease will suffer from this consequence, but it is important to be aware of this real problem. This happens for a simple reason. An erection depends on good blood circulation in the penis area, and diabetes can cause several blood vessels to have their functions compromised, throughout a man’s body, including the penis. Besides affecting erection, diabetes also has a direct relationship with the nerves and sensitivity of the male sexual organ, which can be very harmful, leading to several other problems, including psychological ones.
Is Erectile Dysfunction Caused by Diabetes Curable?
When it comes to male impotence, it is quite common for there to be great concern, after all, it is about a man’s ability to have a healthy sex life. But the good news is that erectile dysfunction caused by diabetes is indeed curable, but it is important to pay attention to details and carry out the treatment correctly. The first thing to clarify is that what needs to be treated, in this case, is diabetes. Once it is controlled and there are no further problems, a man can return to having normal erections. The main issue is that the treatment must be followed strictly, which means adopting healthy lifestyle habits, quitting smoking where applicable, as well as maintaining a balanced diet to control blood sugar levels. Also, for men with Type 1 diabetes, insulin injections are required as part of the treatment. 
Is It Safe for Diabetics to Take Viagra?
A major question that arises when talking about the relationship between male impotence and diabetes is whether it is safe to take Viagra, the trade name for Sildenafil, a drug that treats erectile dysfunction. Yes, this medication can be used by men with any type of diabetes and will not interfere with the disease. However, it is important to know that many times Viagra may not be sufficiently effective for a man to have normal erections. This is because this medication acts directly by stimulating the blood vessels to achieve an erection, and a diabetic man may have exactly these blood vessels damaged in some way due to the disease. Therefore, the best recommendation is to see a doctor to treat diabetes and, in this way, cure erectile dysfunction. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe Viagra to help, but never as a final solution to the problem.
Is Diabetes Linked to Female Impotence?
There are reports linking diabetes with female impotence, however, it is a minority of cases, which means that it is very rare for this disease to have a direct link with a woman’s sexual problems. What can happen is that women with diabetes have a higher risk of developing problems such as depression, which in turn can lead to female impotence. Even so, it is an indirect connection between one thing and another, as well as being a relatively rare side effect. Sexuality is part of every human being’s life and is directly connected to happiness, satisfaction, and even to feeling good about our own bodies. For this reason, it is very important that any type of problem related to sexual impotence is resolved in the correct way. When this problem is caused by diabetes, it is also important to understand how the treatment can be done not only so you don’t have issues with impotence, but also to prevent the disease from getting worse and causing even more severe consequences. Taking care of yourself is something we all should do. And that involves attention and a lot of knowledge about our bodies.
