Diabetes is a disease in which you either don’t produce enough of the hormone insulin or have become resistant to insulin’s effects. Without insulin, you can’t move dietary sugars out of your bloodstream and into your cells, which need them for energy.
If you have diabetes, you may also suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED). In fact, men with diabetes are three times more likely to have ED than those without diabetes.
Alex Lesani, MD, an expert urologist in Las Vegas, Nevada, helps you regain your health and your sexual function. If you have diabetes, the first step is managing your disease to improve your overall health so you can avoid, reverse, or improve ED.
An erection starts in your brain and your sense organs. When you’re sexually stimulated, your brain sends nerve signals to your penis that begin the erection cascade.
First, the muscles of the corpora cavernosa — two sponge-like chambers that run along the penis — relax, which allows blood to flow into and engorge their open spaces. Then, the extra blood in the arteries that service the penis creates pressure that keeps the expansion in place.
A membrane called the tunica albuginea, which surrounds the corpora cavernosa, also helps seal the blood inside the penis. But if the nerves that set this whole process in motion have been damaged by diabetes, the erection is short-circuited.
Even if your nerves have avoided damage, high levels of circulating glucose in your bloodstream injure the lining of your blood vessels, including the arteries that bring blood into and out of the penis. Plaque may build up in the vessels, making it hard for the blood to get through.
Eventually, damaged and blocked blood vessels can cause high blood pressure. High blood pressure further damages the blood vessels. And if your blood vessels are damaged in your penis, they can’t engorge the corpora cavernosa, which means you can’t get an erection.
One of the major risk factors for Type 2 diabetes is being overweight. Too much fatty tissue, especially around your middle, throws your hormones out of balance. Fat produces estrogens, sometimes referred to as “female” hormones.
When the balance of estrogen and testosterone tip toward the estrogens, your libido nose dives. You might also have ED.
In addition, high levels of estrogen make it difficult to burn fat and build muscle. Muscle, in its turn, speeds up metabolism. So, the more fat you have, the slower your metabolism gets and the less muscle you can build. The end of the vicious cycle is even more fat gain.
To take control of your weight and your hormones, you must make lifestyle changes that help your body burn fat and build muscle. The bonus of making these changes is that they help control your blood glucose, too.
Losing weight is never easy, but it gets easier if you first cut out the foods that lead to Type 2 diabetes and worsen both Type 1 and Type 2. Eliminate or severely cut down on:
Instead, focus on fresh, whole foods such as leafy green vegetables and berries, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats such as olive oil. If you need help losing weight, we can refer you to a weight-loss program or a dietician.
Regular exercise is a key to losing weight in a healthy way and also a key to keeping it off. Exercise also improves your cardiovascular system, which strengthens your blood vessels (yes, including the ones in your penis).
Lifestyle changes and weight loss take a while to enact and pay off. If you want to improve your sex life while you’re waiting for your health to improve and your blood sugar to stabilize, we can help. We may recommend medications, injections, or a prosthesis to restore your erections.
Don’t write off ED as a normal part of aging. Take control of your health, manage your diabetes, and get help for ED by calling our friendly team at 702-470-2579 today. You can also book your appointment online.
