Diabetes is an impactful, progressive disease, and there are many side effects that can occur. There are some serious problems that can be experienced by men in particular. Diabetes patients do not have the ability to make insulin, which regulates their blood sugar, and the high levels of blood sugar wreak havoc with the body’s systems. One system that can be impacted is erectile function, and there are several ways this manifests itself.
1. Bladder problems
These are common in men who have diabetes. There is a complicated relationship between the bladder’s nerves and arteries that causes an over-extended bladder in people with diabetes. This links to not only incontinence, but also the workings of where a man’s ejaculate ends up.
2. Retrograde ejaculation
This happens when a man’s ejaculate filled with semen ends up in his bladder instead of in the tip of his penis. The muscle in a man’s urethra that contracts to push the semen to the tip of the penis does not contract, and it sends the urine to the wrong place. The muscle’s contraction can be damaged by diabetes, and obviously effect a man’s sex life.
3. Autonomic nervous system
(ANS) is the system of a man’s body that controls the widening and constricting of blood vessels during sex. Diabetes interferes with the natural working of the constricting blood vessels, and can get in the way of natural love making.
4. Erectile dysfunction
ED is a condition where a man cannot achieve an erection, therefore making it impossible to enjoy a sexual relationship. Sadly, over 50 percent of men who have diabetes have experienced erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction is caused by the body’s inability to get blood to the penis, thereby making it erect and able to function during sex. Blood vessels are damaged by diabetes, and muscles and nerves are also affected, making it very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve an erection.
There are many problems associated with diabetes that people might not even think about, and erectile function or lack thereof is a major difficulty for men.
