Factors in sexual dysfunction in diabetic female volunteer subjects (for editorial comment, see page 548)

The aetiology and management of diabetic impotence is well-documented; the effects of diabetes on female sexuality are not so clear. In this study, 48 diabetic women were assessed clinically and answered detailed sexual questionnaires during a semistructured interview with a sexual counsellor. Twenty-four of the women reported one-or-more sexual dysfunctions: decreased libido, slow arousal, inadequate lubrication, anorgasmia or dyspareunia. There was no significant relationship between the presence of dysfunction and recent glycaemic control, the duration of diabetes, the presence of clinical complications or of neuropathy alone, or the attitude to sexuality. The sexual dysfunction(s) were present at the onset of diabetes in the majority of those so affected (17 of 24 patients), or were attributed to other causes in the remainder. It is suggested that sexual dysfunction in diabetic women should be treated actively as in "normal" women, since diabetes is not the major aetiological factor.