LAUSR

This descriptive study was conducted to compare the sexual function among women with and without diabetes. The study was conducted with 30 women with type 1 diabetes, 30 women with type 2 diabetes attending a diabetes policlinic at a university hospital and 30 women without diabetes, between the dates of September 2015 and December 2016. “Patient Information Form” and “The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI)” were used for data collection. p < 0.05 value was accepted as statistically significant. There was a significant difference between the mean scores of desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain subscales of FSFI in women with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and without diabetes (p < 0.05). As the fasting plasma glucose level of women with type 1 diabetes increased, their sexual desire decreased. Women with type 2 diabetes experienced less arousal, as the duration of their diabetes increased, and they experienced less arousal and orgasm as their glycosylated hemoglobin value increased. As the post-prandial glucose level of women with type 2 diabetes increased, they experienced less arousal, orgasm, satisfaction and more pain in their sexual lives. The study results demonstrated that women with diabetes had more sexual concerns in comparison to women without diabetes, and women with type 2 diabetes had more sexual concerns compared to women with type 1 diabetes. It has been recommended to increase the awareness of nurses about the effects of diabetes on sexual health and assess sexual function of women with diabetes.