Sexual Difficulties are Common among Women with Diabetes Type 1

In a long-term Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study, a North American study of men and women with diabetes type 1, it was found that there was a strong connection between women with diabetes type 1 and sexual difficulties.

At year 10 of the study, an assessment of 652 female participants revealed that of the sexually active women with diabetes type 1, thirty five percent (35%) of them were classified as having female sexual dysfunction (FSD).

FSD included loss of libido (57%); problems with orgasm (51%), reduced lubrication (47%), and reduced arousal (38%); and pain (21%). There was definite correlation between FSD and the following factors:

1. age,
2. marital status,
3. menopausal status,
4. microvasculopathy, and
5. depression.

The researchers of the EDIC study which was published in the May issue of Diabetes Care journal concluded that sexual dysfunction is common in women with type 1 diabetes, affecting all aspects of sexual function and satisfaction. Of the factors stated above, depression is the major predictor of sexual dysfunction in women with type 1 diabetes.