Sex is safe in type 1 diabetes, shows small study using continuous glucose monitoring devices
New research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy, Sept. 28–Oct. 2, shows, with the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices, that sexual intercourse is safe for people living with type 1 diabetes. The study is by Dr. Dominica Orłowska, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland, and colleagues.
A small study, presented at the EASD Annual Meeting in Milan, suggests that sexual intercourse is safe for people with type 1 diabetes, according to continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data. The study, led by Dr. Dominica Orłowska from the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, included 12 adults with type 1 diabetes (seven women and five men, aged 21 to 64 years, with a mean BMI of 24 kg/m²).
Participants used CGM devices for three months, recording sexual intercourse events, with CGM data collected from two hours before to six hours after each event. No clinically significant hypoglycemia was observed during any of the 110 recorded sexual intercourse events. Blood sugar responses were bidirectional, with mean glucose levels decreasing or increasing following sexual activity, depending on pre-sexual activity glucose levels, body mass index (BMI), and time of day.
Nighttime sexual activity (66 events) was associated with a statistically significant reduction in glucose levels, while daytime sexual activity (44 events) had no effect on glucose levels. Higher pre-sexual activity glucose levels were associated with greater post-sexual activity glucose reductions, while insulin delivery mode and diabetes duration did not influence the results.
The authors conclude that sexual intercourse in adults with type 1 diabetes does not appear to increase the risk of clinically significant hypoglycemia, highlighting the importance of addressing hypoglycemia-related fear to improve sexual health and quality of life for people with type 1 diabetes.
Written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
