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Sexual Response in Women with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Controlled Laboratory Study Measuring Vaginal Blood Flow and Subjective Sexual Arousal

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Abstract

Previous studies have indicated that women with diabetes mellitus are at higher risk to develop sexual dysfunctions. In the current study, we hypothesized that lower genital arousal response—as a consequence of diabetes-related damage to nerves and blood vessels—might play a part in these higher prevalence rates. Vaginal blood flow, subjective sexual response, and clitoral sensitivity were compared between women with diabetes and healthy controls, and associations with diabetes complications were investigated. In pre- and postmenopausal women with type 1 diabetes (n = 42) and healthy controls (n = 46), vaginal blood flow was measured as vaginal pulse amplitude (VPA). VPA was assessed at rest, during erotic film viewing, and during vibrotactile clitoral stimulation. Subjective sexual arousal was measured using a questionnaire. Clitoral sensitivity was assessed by a vibration perception test. Data on diabetes complications were obtained from medical records, and neuropathy was assessed by quantitative sensory testing. VPA, subjective sexual arousal, and clitoral sensitivity were not significantly different between women with diabetes and controls. Nevertheless, women with diabetes who had retinopathy showed significantly lower VPA than women without retinopathy, and women with diabetes who had neuropathy showed significantly higher sensation thresholds for vibrotactile clitoral stimulation. The results do not support the hypothesis of a disrupted genital arousal response in women with diabetes. However, the observed associations between retinopathy and vaginal blood flow, and between neuropathy and clitoral sensitivity, suggest that diabetes-related complications might adversely affect the physiological basis of female sexual response.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge Rinske Bakker, Nicole Haringa, and Nina Willemse for their assistance in data collection. The study was supported by the Dutch Society of Sexology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychosomatic Gynecology and Sexology, Leiden University Medical Center, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Stephanie Both, Moniek ter Kuile & Philomeen Weijenborg

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies, University of Leuven, Louvain, Belgium

    Paul Enzlin

  3. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Olaf Dekkers & Marieke van Dijk

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  1. Stephanie Both
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  2. Moniek ter Kuile
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  6. Philomeen Weijenborg
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Correspondence to Stephanie Both.

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Both, S., ter Kuile, M., Enzlin, P. et al. Sexual Response in Women with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Controlled Laboratory Study Measuring Vaginal Blood Flow and Subjective Sexual Arousal. Arch Sex Behav 44, 1573–1587 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0545-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0545-x

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