Contents:
- Medical Video: Diabetes and Pregnancy (Q&A)
- Diabetes decreases sexual arousal
- Diabetes is a cause of difficulty getting pregnant, really?
- So, how to deal with this condition if you want to get pregnant?
Medical Video: Diabetes and Pregnancy (Q&A)
Sometimes, the problem is difficult to get pregnant not because you or your partner is born infertile. Your fertility can only be decreased due to an illness that you have suffered, or because of the medication you are taking to treat the disease. One of the diseases that can cause pregnancy is diabetes. Why is that?
Diabetes decreases sexual arousal
Untreated diabetes can cause damage to the nervous system and blood vessels. Diabetics are also more susceptible to heart disease. The presence of problems in the heart can cause blood flow to sensitive areas and intimate organs become blocked. Blood flow that is not smooth and coupled with nerve damage makes you more difficult to be aroused to even cause sexual arousal to decrease prematurely.
In men, diabetes has the potential to cause erectile dysfunction problems (whether it is difficult to achieve an erection or difficult to maintain) and difficulty orgasm (difficult to ejaculate). Even,1 in 3 menpeople with diabetes experience erectile dysfunction aka impotence. Meanwhile, women prone to vaginal infections that cause sexual intercourse can feel very painful. Women can be more difficult to be aroused and orgasm due to damage to nerves that affect the clitoris, the female sex button.
Diabetes can also cause low blood sugar, aka hypoglycemia. Usually this is caused by side effects of some diabetes medications, such as sulfonylurea, tolbutamide, chloropropamide, or metoprolol. Insulin injections can also cause blood sugar levels to drop dramatically. Hypoglycemia can also occur when you are having sex. Because, sexual activity can be considered as a sport. Headaches, dizziness, anxiety, difficulty focusing, and trembling that results from hypoglycemia can stop sex drive in the middle of the road so you are no longer interested in continuing to make love.
Diabetes is a cause of difficulty getting pregnant, really?
Decreasing sexual arousal due to diabetes can affect your chances of success in becoming pregnant. having glucose in blood that is too high or low can cause you to feel more tired or lethargic, so you are not passionate about having sex. The less often you have sex, of course the chances of getting pregnant are also getting smaller.
Diabetes is also thought to cause DNA damage to male sperm. DNA damage is a major risk factor for sperm abnormalities that can lead to infertility. When we discuss the feasibility of sperm to fertilize an egg, there are three factors that play a role, namely the number of sperm, the shape of the sperm, and the movement of sperm. If there is only one sperm abnormality from these three factors, then you risk a high risk of fertility problems or even infertility.
A study,reported from Web MD, found that the semen volume of diabetic men was less than for healthy men who did not have diabetes. Men who have diabetes are also more at risk for having low sperm counts.
In women, untreated diabetes can increase your risk of experiencing premature menopause. Your body has experiencedinsulin resistance. If you are resistant to insulin, the body cannot absorb the sugar in the blood. Thus, blood sugar levels increase.
In fact, the hormone insulin does not only function to break down sugar, but also affects the production of hormones needed by your reproductive system and ovulation.One of which is the hormone estrogen which plays a role in sexual arousal and the maturation process of the egg. Indirectly, a decrease in the hormone estrogen can reduce the quality of a woman's egg.
So, how to deal with this condition if you want to get pregnant?
There is no strong medical evidence that states that diabetes is absolutely a cause of difficulty getting pregnant. Not everyone who has diabetes automatically will not have children.
If you have diabetes and plan to get pregnant, the most important thing to do is consult with your doctor who handles your illness and the obstetrician. Diabetes cannot be cured, but that does not mean that this condition cannot be controlled. By planning and preparing carefully, the opportunity to get the baby is even higher.
Controlling diabetes before planning a pregnancy is also important to ensure that your pregnancy will always be healthy and that the baby you conceive is also the same.
