The possibility is raised that testosterone would have salutary effects in men with diabetes. In particular, testosterone appears to inhibit leptin production and thus may decrease insulin resistance. In women, the major effect of diabetes appears to be on the ovary. In rodents, diabetes results in a decrease in ovulation. In humans, rodents, and swine, diabetes in females is associated with hyperandrogenicity and a decline in estradiol levels.
Diabetes also appears to produce resistance to some of the effects of estradiol.
In contrast to males, in females hyperandrogenicity is associated with insulin resistance. Oral contraceptives and postmenopausal estrogen replacement do not appear to have any major positive or negative effects on carbohydrate metabolism. Hormonal changes in both men and women with diabetes may lead to a decline in libido and a loss of the quality of the erection in men and vaginal dryness that may be associated with dyspareunia in women.