high blood sugar cause for low sex drive

hi,

i'm 30 years old and have been married 10 years. i've had diabetes since i was 9. my husband and i have always had a good love life but recently my sex drive has been very low. i have been too embarrased to ask my dr. if high blood sugars can be the cause of this. please advise.

thanks so much,
g.m

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

GM,
I'm not a physician (none of us here are medical docs) so I can share just the compassionate, informed opinions of another DMer.  I've had DM for ~35 years and am also female.

Diabetes, especially uncontrolled diabetes, can cause nerve damage that can affect sexual response in both men & women.  Apart from any physical damage, however, the background stress and worry can certainly affect our sexual appetite and interest.  Depending on your age, however, other normal hormonal changes can be underway.  If you're in your 30s or 40s read about "peri-menopause" and see if those symptoms seem to fit.  Peri-menopause is the interval -- sometimes 10 years or more -- before menopause when our hormones are really nuts!  

To the extent that you see room for improvement in your diabetes control, that will only help you!  It's tough to manage this disease and yet when we find ways to improve what we can, the benefits are great (both short term & long term).

I suppose my summary is that high blood sugar can affect sexuality and so can plenty of other things... Some of these, including DM management, are partly under our control.  I can ocmpletely relate to how awkward it is to bring up this subject in an already-hurried doctor's appointment.  At some point, it may be helpful to do so.  Good luck and check in again.  I'm sure you're brave question will trigger other replies.

[JDRF-Team-sgg]

Yes, high blood sugar levels can cause loss of sex drive in females, although we hear more about impotence in diabetic men. Here is a web site that explains some of the issues that can affect diabetic women:
http://diabetes.about.com/cs/sexuality/a/aafemalesexdysf.htm

Also, I would recommend that you speak with your Ob/Gyn doctor about this issue, for hormonal imbalance can be the cause of your problems also. Diabetics are commonly affected by other endocrine problems, and having other hormone levels checked makes good sense. Tightening up your glucose control may help, too.

[bondgirl]

thank you lrs-for your support. it is much appreciated.

[Lesley40]

I had low sex drive for years. I'm sure higher blood sugars (and the accompanying yeast infections) didn't help matters. I also think because I didn't have regular periods until after my children were born, that may have contributed. Good luck. Things only got better for me in my mid-30's. My only piece of advice is this: think hard before taking any hormones that "boost" sexuality. My feeling is, we women don't need any more foreign drugs in our bodies than are absolutely necessary - and we don't need the guilt, either.