Erectile Dysfunction and Diabetes

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common complication of diabetes. And left untreated, it can erode the quality of life for you and your partner. Sexual problems can increase your level of stress, frustration and discouragement; trigger depression; and even make you less likely to manage your diabetes effectively

Erectile dysfunction may not always be the result of diabetes, but the condition has distinctive features among those with diabetes .

As many as 80 percent of men with diabetes develop erectile dysfunction, compared to about 22 percent to 25 percent of men without diabetes. Erectile dysfunction most frequently develops after age 65. In men with diabetes it tends to occur 10 or 15 years earlier, on average. Men in their 30s and younger with diabetes have also experienced erectile dysfunction. The longer you've had diabetes and the more severe it is, the more likely you are to develop erectile dysfunction.

In men with diabetes, normal sexual function may be disrupted for a number of reasons related to nerve and blood vessel damage. Diabetes can cause neuropathy or damage to nerves throughout your body, including the penis. Damaged nerves can't communicate properly. So even though you might be emotionally stimulated to have intercourse, nerve damage means that information isn't relayed to the penis, and it doesn't respond. In addition, poor blood sugar control can inhibit nitric oxide production. Lack of nitric oxide can prevent the pressure of blood in the corpora cavernosa from rising enough to close off penile veins, allowing blood to flow out of the penis instead of remaining trapped for an erection. Blood vessels can also become narrowed or hardened (atherosclerosis) by conditions that often accompany diabetes, such as cardiovascular disease. When atherosclerosis occurs in arteries that supply the penis or pelvic area, sexual function may be disrupted.

Good control of diabetes lessens the chance of such complications occurring but it is impossible to eliminate the chances of developing erectile dysfunction in diabetes. Unfortunately even having mild diabetes can cause some nerve and artery damage and a high proportion of people newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes already show problems such as ED.

If you found this article interesting please check the other Firstmed articles available.

This information has been brought to you by Firstmed.co.uk, the UK ' s leading online impotence clinic.

If you wish to discuss any of the above issues in more detail, do not hesitate to contact us by email on info@firstmed.co.uk or call +44 (0)870 199 5287

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