(Sabdah O’Sullivan/ Refinery 29) — When you have diabetes your sex life, just like everything else, is much more complicated. Whatever type of diabetes you have, whatever your gender and whoever you choose to have sex with, intimacy comes with a number of caveats and precautions that have to be negotiated. But thanks to the persistent taboo that surrounds talking about sex, as well as a lack of understanding about diabetes, the issue is rarely discussed.
As Emma Elvin, Senior Clinical Advisor at Diabetes UK puts it to R29: “Many people will experience sexual problems at some point in their lives. If you have diabetes, it doesn’t mean you’ll definitely have a problem with your sex life. But people with diabetes are more at risk of sexual dysfunction.”
The disruption to men’s sex lives is slightly more discussed (a quick google of the words ‘diabetes’ and ‘sex’ prioritises results about erectile dysfunction) but the effect is marked for women too, both physically and psychologically.
Simone*, a 29-year-old type 1 diabetic in Glasgow, tells R29 that her diabetes absolutely affects her sex life. (…)