Sexuality in Men and Women with Diabetes and High Blood Pressure
Many men and women are sexually active well into the 80’s. It’s not uncommon for me to see men as well as couples in their 70’s, 80’s and sometimes 90’s seeking help with sexual problems.
For women, the major issues are dryness / pain and sometimes lack of interest usually due to loss of estrogens and sometimes testosterone.
The same vascular issues affect both men and women. Believe it or not but the clitoris is the penis equivalent in the female. Both of them normally have lots of blood flow. Diabetes clogs the arteries and decreases blood flow to both the clitoris in women and the penis in men.
That is the major reason for erectile dysfunction in men.
So what can we do? Optimize blood pressure, diabetes control and cholesterol; lose weight; make sure testosterone levels are good.
If those things don’t work, medications such as Viagra/Cialis can help. If the medications don’t work we have other tricks – including using diabetic syringes to put medications in the penis that open up the arteries. Penile prosthesis is a very effective treatment option for ED as well.
To learn more, schedule an appointment with Dr. Shteynshlyuger, an expert in Sexual Health.