Question:
I wish I could find a BearDoc in my neighborhood. Though my primary care physician is a young woman, she's done a good job. BTW, I'm in my 30s, well constructed, athletic and healthy in the main. Recently she did catch that I have minor diabetes that's controlled by medication. I was embarrassed to ask her if there are any sexual impacts of diabetes. So what can I expect?
Answer:
Sounds
like you’ve got a good doctor. Diabetes is an illness that often doesn’t
make you feel ill. The fact that a person who has diabetes feels well doesn’t
mean that it cannot cause health problems.
At this point,
it’s important to have good blood sugar control. The standards are changing,
but the goals are to have fasting and before dinner blood sugars under 140.
Currently physicians monitor an average blood sugar index called glyco-hemoglobin
(HgA1C). I like to have my patients’ results less than 7%.
So... your question
is “what are the sexual risks or complications?”
Diabetes, “especially”
uncontrolled diabetes, can cause damage to blood vessels and nerves but this
usually takes many years or even decades. Good blood flow and proper nerve
function are essential to good erections. The goal is to normalize blood sugars
so that the risk of damage is reduced.
The damage from
diabetes to sexual function is accelerated by smoking, high cholesterol and
hypertension. If you have other medical problems, make sure those are well
taken care of too.
Take good care
of yourself. Diabetes is not all doom and gloom, so don’t “expect”
problems. Just follow your doctor’s advice.
Remember... bears aren’t supposed to be too sweet!