We are talking about Type 2 diabetes in case of insulin resistance, which prevents the body from using glucose as an energy source. The latter accumulates in the blood and leads to hyperglycemia chronic. This chronic disease is constantly increasing and currently affects 3.7 million French people.
Type 2 diabetes is too often taken lightly. Yet it is conducive to complications very serious. Diabetes is likely to reach the blood vessels and cause atherosclerosis, diabetic retinopathy (eye damage) or nephropathy (kidney disease).
If we often talk about thirst, fatigue and tremors to describe the symptoms, other less known manifestations should lead to consultation. American doctors draw the attention of patients to the symptoms that affect the sexuality. They spoke through Healthline.
Diabetes: in women, there are often problems of infection with fungi and vaginal dryness
Many male patients with type 2 diabetes report erectile dysfunction.
Indeed, a blood sugar poorly controlled can damage the nerves and blood vessels that deliver blood to the penis, which can make it difficult to get an erection during sex. A study conducted in Morocco and published in 2020 had revealed that erectile dysfunction is a common condition in diabetic men but still often taboo.
However, men are not the only ones to see their sexuality altered in the event of diabetes. Sexual dysfunction can also occur in women, resulting in low libido And poor lubrication. This can be generated by fatigue and hormonal changes.
“ In diabetic women, there are most often problems of infections by mushrooms (mycosis) and vaginal dryness, making intercourse difficult and painful. In men: prostatitis, infections, fungal infections… and above all erection and ejaculation disorders are the main complications “, reports the French Federation of Diabetics.
According to their estimates, in France, out of 10 to 15% of men who have erectile dysfunction, 30 to 50% are diabetic. ” In addition, diabetes, like other chronic diseases, leads to phases of self-depreciation that can go as far as depression with variable effects in both sexes: psychological blockage (inhibition), reduced desire (libido). . “Adds the Federation again.
Type 2 diabetes: what are the symptoms that should alert?
Among the symptoms to watch out for (especially if you are at risk), the European Center for the Study of Diabetes cites tremors, paleness, sweating, mood swings, hunger, headaches, visual disturbances, drowsiness (signs of hypoglycaemia) but also the frequent urination, extreme thirst, dry mouth and stomach pain (signs of hyperglycaemia).
