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Special Concerns of male
Diabetics
Impotence,
generally defined as a man's inability to achieve and maintain an
erection of the penis during sexual intercourse, is common in
nondiabetic as well as diabetic men. Impotence has many causes,
including emotional ones such as anxiety and fear. It can result from an
organic problem, such as systemic or vascular disease or a hormone
deficiency. It can happen because of neurological reasons, including
brain disease or damaged nerves. Abuse of alcohol and other drugs
contributes to impotency. Sometimes side effects of certain medications
cause temporary impotency.
While physicians say that there is a higher frequency of impotence in
male s with diabetes, only some diabetic men notice impotency or become
impotent as a result of their diabetes. When nerve endings are affected
by the disease, however, reduced ability to achieve erection will occur.
Vascular problems such as hardening of the arteries also contribute to
the inability to achieve and maintain an erection, because an adequate
supply of blood must flow to the penis.
Your health care team will meet with you and your partner to talk about
your adjustments, both psychological and physical, to any changes in
your physiological and physical, to any changes in your physiological
function. Some of the aspects they will probably mention arte as
follows:
• See your physician right away if you are experiencing impotence. It is
possible that the condition is occurring as a response to some other
factor and not your diabetes.
• Reduce or eliminate use of alcohol. This may alleviate the impotence.
• Sometimes impotence results as a side effect of medications. What
medications are you taking? Perhaps they can be substituted for others
with fewer side effects.
• What emotional factors are involved in your current situation? How was
your sexual relationship before you had diabetes?
• If decreased pelvic blood flow is responsible for preventing blood
flow to your penis, vascular surgery might be recommended, and for some
a prosthesis might be recommended after thorough evaluation and family
counseling.
• More attention paid to diet, wall balanced meals, and weight control
may assist in a return of potency. Ask your physician and health care
team to reevaluate your meal plan and other lifestyle factors that may
affect your potency. Many men have found the condition reversible, and
if you have it, you may find it reversible, too.
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