Finally, it is our turn!

Abstract

Although it is universally appreciated that long-standing diabetes is associated with sexual dysfunction in men, the state of inquiry into sexual dysfunction in diabetic women is rudimentary. A literature search (1) on sexual dysfunction in diabetic men reveals 1,983 articles published in the last 5 years. In a similar computer search directed toward diabetic women, 13 articles appear, a paltry (and unlucky) number. But there is promise! A 14th article, “Sexual dysfunction in women with type 1 diabetes: a controlled study,” by Enzlin et al. (2), appears in this issue of Diabetes Care , taking steps to make up for this discrepancy. Compared with the few studies in the literature, this article is an evidence-based report. The study was designed to 1 ) examine the prevalence of sexual problems in women with type 1 diabetes, 2 ) compare this prevalence rate with that of an age-matched control group, 3 ) study the influence of diabetes-related somatic factors on female sexuality, and 4 ) study the influence of psychological variables on the sexual function of both groups. The authors studied 120 women with type 1 diabetes compared with an age-matched control group of 180 women without diabetes and asked them to complete questionnaires. This paper could be criticized for the following: 1 ) a retrospective chart review (not considered the best method for data ascertainment in the scientific literature) was used in the group of diabetic women to collect HbA1c levels; 2 ) the chart review was also used to collect prevalence of diabetic complications (thus, no consistent method was used to document retinopathy, neuropathy, or cardiovascular …