Live Life Team
Most symptoms of diabetes are the same for everyone, but there are some symptoms that are unique to men, or significantly more common in men than in women. A test for diabetes is usually carried out when a group of symptoms are present or when one symptom is difficult to explain in any other way.
Like women, men with untreated diabetes usually find that they get thirsty or hungry more often than they used to, that they have blurred vision or that they feel tired a lot of the time, even when they’ve had plenty of sleep.
Some diabetes symptoms are related to lifestyle choices that are more common in men than women. Because men are more likely to drink alcohol to excess, they may find that their blood glucose levels get out of control fairly early on in the progression of the disease, but may pass off the symptoms of this as a result of drunkenness or a hangover. Because men are encouraged to try and be strong and not make a fuss, their diabetes is often more advanced by the time it’s diagnosed than it is in women, so symptoms may be more pronounced.
Type 1 diabetes and untreated Type 2 diabetes that has been affecting the body for some time can cause a reduction in muscle mass. This is usually more noticeable in men than it is in women. If you work out or work in a manual job, you may find that the amount you can lift decreases and you feel as if you’re having to make extra effort to achieve the same things.
Testosterone levels can drop in men with diabetes. This could reduce your sex drive and make you feel sluggish or mentally dull, as if you were suffering the mental effects of a cold all the time. Like erectile dysfunction, this potential diabetes symptom is easy to treat in most cases, so you can feel like your old self again.
Over time, damage caused by high blood glucose can make it difficult to achieve or maintain an erection. It can also cause semen to leak into the bladder so that not as much emerges during ejaculation.
Yeast infections in the genital area can be a symptom of diabetes and can cause itching, redness, swelling or an unpleasant smell.
Diabetes can cause problems with urination so that you need to urinate more often or find that some urine leaks out by accident. You may also suffer from urinary tract infections, causing pain or changing the colour of your urine. It’s important to talk to your doctor about issues like this even if you find them embarrassing.
Being overweight increases the risk of diabetes for anyone, but it’s more dangerous in men than in women. This is thought to be because men, on average, store more of their excess fat on their bellies, which is known to be a risk factor. If you have a family history of diabetes, it’s all the more important to try and maintain a healthy weight, moderate your drinking and quit smoking.
