Obesity

Sexual Dysfunction& Weight Gain – A Medical Doctor’s View

December 24, 2009
By Richard Lipman M.D.

Overweight people are much more likely to report poor sex lives. The overweight report 25 times as many problems as normal weight people. Both men and women suffer from lack of libido, poor performance and lack of sex entirely. While body image can hamper both men and women, experts agree that women feel the impact more

Sex Survey in Overweight Men and Women:

Duke University psychologist Dr Martin Brinks presented at the November 2004 meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity a survey of 1,210 people who had sought treatment at Duke University’s diet center. They had an average body mass index of 41. (A 5 foot, 5 inch person weighing 250 pounds would have a BMI of 41; normal BMI is less than 25, borderline is 25-29, obese is 30 to 39, morbid obesity is 40 or more).

More than 50% obese participants said they sometimes, usually or always felt no desire for sex, compared to just 2 percent of those who were not obese.
Forty percent reported physical problems with sex
41 percent said they avoided sex. In contrast, just 2.5 percent of the non-obese people said they stayed away from sexual activity.
Direct correlation between increasing BMI and sexual problems in both males and females.

Most common sexual complaint in men and women:

The usual complaints in men were not only lack of desire but erectile dysfunction(ED). ED in obese men becomes complicated because of the link with diabetes and hypertension. Complicating the issue even further is the well known sexual problems of hypertensive and diabetic drugs.

The most recent research indicates that a large percentage of male sexual dysfunction may be more related to some of the complications of obesity such as diabetes and hypertension and less due to psychological problems. In women the opposite is true–more psychological problems including loss of desire, problems with arousal, orgasm and pain with intercourse. Many of the women’s complaints had to do with poor body image and lack of self esteem.

Overweight couples are afraid to ask about these problems even more than normal weight ones.

Improve your sex life physically by making a few physical changes:

Hormonal changes: You can do a lot of physical things to improve your sex life: Losing 10 pounds can often free up the sex hormone, testosterone which gives a boost to men and women. Yes, both women and men have the male hormone testosterone in their blood, men just have much more. Falling levels of testosterone in men and peri-menopausal women can account for sexual dysfunction. Add the weight gain which is associated with engorged fat cells inside the belly inactivating testosterone and interfering with other sex hormones and you have the made the situation even worse. Losing weight frees up bound testosterone and increases sexual desire in both sexes.

Exercise changes: Exercise alone, even without the weight loss can go a long way to increase sexual desire and self confidence. Whether it changes hormone levels or simply is psychological, is really less important than that

positive effects one sees with exercise. I am not talking about 5 or 6 hours in a gym a week, just 30 minutes of

brisk walking 4 or 5 times a week. Even a 10 minute walk twice a day, every day may be sufficient.

Improve your sex life by making some psychological changes

Often just making a few physical changes can result in a great improvement in not only desire but performance and satisfaction. Dr Martin Brinks a psychologist from Duke University notes, “I’ve noted that very often when patients start to take better care of themselves, they also report a substantial increase in their interest in sex — I think participation in a healthy lifestyle really helps, even if you don’t lose the extra pounds.”

Body image and self consciousness:

66% of Americans are overweight so the overweight individual is hardly alone. The beautiful, pencil thin movie star on the cover of of People Magazine is not the norm. Once the overweight person can accept that this image is more fantasy than reality, they can set more realistic goals and get on with their weight loss program. A sexual partner who is loving and understanding can make a huge difference.

“People who are struggling with their weight must not make [their weight problem] define who they are,” Binks says. “They are entitled to have the same quality of life as anyone else. You don’t have to hate your body or your weight to work to improve it. If someone is really struggling with this issue, they need to seek out some help. The answer to their sexual problems may not be just losing weight. The issues may be at a deeper level than we realized, involved with body image and self-esteem. People’s self-esteem can improve when they take control of their lives.”

Both doctors and overweight people need to show an open attitude about sexual issues, discuss their problem just like any other medical problem and make some plans to solve it.

Richard L. Lipman M.D. a board certified internist and endocrinologist has been treating weight and metabolic problems for 25 years in his Miami office. He has used his endocrinological (endocrinology is the study of hormones in the body) background to treat hundreds of overweight and obese people with not only sexual dysfunction but complicating diabetes, hypertension and heart disease

His recent book, The 100 Calorie Secret, describes how thousands of his patients lost weight and kept it off. Learn more weight loss and tips from a doctor who actually takes care of metabolic problems and obesity problems at http://www.the100caloriesecret.com.

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