Some people believe that insulin pumps do not interfere with good sex, while others believe that physically attached tubes can cause partners to lose attraction or ruin the atmosphere.
Sparling removes the insulin pump during exercise and before sex (the insulin pump can be safely removed for up to 45 to 60 minutes. However, many experts recommend replacing the insulin pump with rapid-acting insulin during the time it is removed). After sex, Sparling checks her blood sugar again, and if it is high, she gives a dose of insulin. If her blood sugar level is low, she eats a snack. If you are worried about falling asleep or forgetting to reconnect your insulin pump after removing it, you can set an alarm on your insulin pump or phone.
For those who do not want to remove the insulin pump, use a long connection tube to give yourself more freedom of movement. The long tubing helps make it clear to your partner where the insulin pump is attached so it doesn’t accidentally rip. don’t worry if the tubing is ripped out and starts to bleed, Roszler says. “Press down on the area until the bleeding stops.”
For a long-term partner, such minor accidents or disconnecting the insulin pump during foreplay may not be embarrassing. But what to do if you’re with a new partner and haven’t told him or her that you have diabetes? For a married Sparling or Johnson, that’s not a problem. But Johnson says some patients prefer to inject insulin during sex rather than wear an insulin pump.
He said, “With the injection, you may not have to mention the fact that you have diabetes (unless you want to), whereas with the insulin pump, you have to reveal the truth.”
Sparling believes it’s important to “reveal” your diabetes before intimate acts for safety reasons. And she believes that sexual partners should be able to accept the insulin pump the patient is wearing. Otherwise, the patient may need to reconsider whether he or she is a good partner.
For people with diabetes, good health equals a good sex life.
Control of diabetes is the best strategy for improving the sexual experience. sparling believes that good blood sugar control can prevent or alleviate sexual problems, so sexual enjoyment can be maximized. For people with diabetes (especially younger people), what better impetus for controlling diabetes than a good, healthy sex life?