If This Happens To Men During Sex, They Might Have Diabetes

With around 422 million people around the world who have diabetes, and one of the biggest spikes being among men in recent years, it is safe to say that diabetes is one of the most concerning health conditions men face. Science believes that the health condition is caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. What men may not have known is how diabetes can manifest in the bedroom, more specifically, during intimacy.

If you or someone you know has diabetes, you're probably already aware of the common symptoms. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can present as unusual and excessive thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, tiredness, weakness, irritability, mood changes, blurred vision, infections, and slow wound healing. Among the diabetes-related weird things that can happen to men during sex, is delayed ejaculation. 

Unlike premature ejaculation, however, delayed ejaculation is relatively understudied and poorly defined. Yet, if we were to reach for a definition, it could be described as not being able to ejaculate at the time you want or you normally would, poor emission, or no emission at all. It might also mean that you need an excessive amount of stimulation in order to ejaculate. Per a 2021 study published in the World Journal of Diabetes, delayed ejaculation (among other forms of ejaculation dysfunction) was observed as one of the symptoms of diabetes mellitus. Here's how science thinks the conditions are connected. 

Again, the medical literature isn't entirely sure how a delay in ejaculation happens because of the health condition, but there are some theories. 

For example, according to a 2022 study published in the journal Andrology, delayed or anejaculation (no emission) is caused by damaged nerves, also known as neuropathy, which is a long-term complication associated with diabetes. According to the research, neuropathy could cause reduced force at which semen is pushed out, thereby leading to hindrances in ejaculation, or there could be a stiffening of tissues in the seminal tract which causes delayed ejaculation. Other possible explanations for this particular ejaculation dysfunction include a reduced sensation in your genitalia brought on by damaged nerves that is hindering ejaculation. 

The 2022 study also refers to a decrease in dopamine levels in your brain as being one of the reasons. Interestingly, both dopamine and serotonin have roles to play during ejaculation. Dopamine promotes seminal emission while serotonin inhibits it. Diabetes mellitus has been linked to oxidative stress and reduced dopamine levels in your brain, per a 2020 study published in Movement Disorders. So now that you know about one of the symptoms of diabetes men shouldn't ignore, what can you do about it if you notice delayed ejaculation? 

You may want to speak with your healthcare provider if you're concerned about your ejaculation behavior. For starters, apart from diabetes, there are many other causes for this sexual health concern. Depression and anxiety (including performance anxiety), poor relationship quality, mismatched ideas about sex in real life versus sex depicted in porn, self-confidence issues, certain medications, injury to the pelvic region or spinal cord, urinary tract infections, and prostate surgery can all lead to delayed ejaculation.  

That being said, delayed ejaculation due to diabetic neuropathy might not be reversible, per a 2012 study published in the Postgraduate Medical Journal. Damaged nerves can't be repaired, but diabetic neuropathy symptoms can be treated. You can relieve symptoms and progression of diabetic neuropathy by making changes to your lifestyle, like paying attention to your blood sugar levels, keeping your blood pressure under control, eating healthy, quitting smoking, and embracing exercise. 

In the case of sexual health-related symptoms, your doctor could prescribe medications or specific treatment plans. Like we said before, apart from delayed ejaculation, diabetes mellitus can show up in different ways, sexually-speaking, like a loss of your sex drive, inability to have an erection, painful erections, and difficulty reaching an orgasm. It's important to keep an eye out for symptoms and see your doctor as early as possible. On a different note, did you know that men and women have different diabetes symptoms sometimes?