Times of India
8 February, 2010
Radha Sharma
Ahmedabad, India

Diabetes is known to adversely affect the libido and sexual performance of men. In a ground–breaking study conducted by sexologist Dr Ashok Rughani, it is now revealed that nearly 47 per cent women report less interest in sex after they were detected with diabetes.

Dr Rughani is a Gujarati doctor who practised as a gynaecologist for 20 years in Kenya after which he left to study sexology in the US. Along with his practise, he did his doctoral thesis on ‘Difficulty in sexual function among female diabetics’.

The study was conducted on 107 patients of which 55 were diabetics and rest non–diabetics. While the study was conducted on women in the US, the issues remain same with Indian women, says Dr Rughani.

Dr Rughani has now come back to India and has started practise as a sexologist at his hospital Sexual Medicure Centre in Ahmedabad.

He says that while other studies have reported 50 per cent diabetic men suffering erectile difficulties and low desire levels, the impact of silent killer on women’s sexuality is largely neglected.

“We have had many patients complain that their wives do not have sexual desire and experience pain and other problems. It is only on detailed investigation we find that women is diabetic and her sexual problems stem from the disease which is so rampant,” said Dr Rughani.

The sexologist’s wife and a practising nurse, Aarti Rughani said that diabetic women had nearly double incidence of urinary and genital tract infections as compared to non–diabetic women.

“Nearly 63 per cent women were found to have recurrent vaginal fungal and bacterial infections, dryness of vagina, painful sexual intercourse and orgasmic problem. In non–diabetic women, this problem was found to be in 34 per cent women,” said Dr Rughani. Dr Rughani explained that the women with diabetes experience lesser lubrication which leads to dryness.

“This causes pain during sexual relations which eventually leads to loss of desire,” he said.

“With a large number of people having diabetes in the state, women tend to suffer in silence as their sexual problems remain largely neglected. “These problems can be easily dealt if the women talk to their doctor openly. They can be treated and can even get back to their normal life,” said Dr Rughani.