Causes

Psychological

Female sexual dysfunction is often associated with a variety of factors including depression, anxiety and stress. Having diabetes may make matters worse and could make sexual problems more likely to occur.

It is a known fact that people with diabetes are twice as likely to experience depression as the general population. As many as one in three people with diabetes suffer a significant loss in their quality of life due to their depression and the risk is higher for women than for men.

It is increasingly recognised there is a link between depression and sexual dysfunction, particularly decreased desire and problems with arousal.

Your emotions

It could be that you juggle a busy work/home life and struggle to fit in clinic and doctor appointments into your weekly schedule. You may worry about the related complications associated with diabetes or perhaps fear an unexpected hypo may indirectly affect your sex life.

These kinds of concerns can in turn influence the way you are feeling on a daily basis and indirectly affect how you feel sexually. Other factors which can affect sexual functioning include negative emotions, previous traumatic experience, fear and anxiety, lack of sexual knowledge, poor sexual communication with a partner and/or inadequate stimulation.

Environmental factors such as living at home with parents or in other socially difficult or uncomfortable situations may also play a part.

All these worries and emotions are very common and well grounded which is why it is important to talk to your doctor who can offer advice and treatment options.

Coping strategies

It is also important to develop your own coping strategies to help you function despite feeling the psychological impact of sexual problems.

  • If possible, take a break from stressful life events to recharge. If necessary, ask for a bit of support from family, friends or employers. If you continue to feel low and pressured for more than two weeks, it is vital you speak to your healthcare professional or diabetes team.
  • When it comes to your diabetes management, have realistic expectations about what you can achieve. For example, if you want to be more active but hate gyms, don’t join a gym. Find other ways of increasing your activity levels, for example walking, rather than driving or taking public transport.
  • Take a good look at how you’ve managed change in the past. Are you good at caring for other people’s needs but have great difficulty acknowledging your own? In an average week, how much time is devoted to just you and your needs. If you don’t have at least a few hours, not including sleep, for yourself, perhaps you cope and care for others but forget about yourself.
  • Just as a poor diet and very little physical activity are bad for your diabetes management, they can also contribute to negative feelings or depression. Eating healthily (but not restrictively or rigidly) and using more energy can help lift mild depression. 
  • Relaxation techniques, such as yoga or T’ai Chi, or even attending evening classes, can also be of benefit. 

To speak to a trained counsellor with an understanding of depression, call the Diabetes UK Careline on 0845 120 2960.