Yes, Dustin, the genitals also experience complications in Type II diabetes. Typical complications involving the genitals include both urinary and sexual dysfunction. The patient cannot control when or how much they urinate. Inability to hold urine has the potential to cause embarrassment for the patient, and failure of the bladder to empty completely results in greater risk of bacterial infection of the urinary tract. The consistent inability to sustain an erection.
Impotence is the consistent inability to sustain an erection.
Impotence in males can vary from the complete inability of the penis to become erect to maintaining only very brief erections. Impotence in diabetics is primarily caused by atherosclerosis. The sponge-like vascular tissues in the penis that cause erection are unable to fill with blood when arteries are partially blocked. Damage to the sensory and the motor nerves necessary for initiating and maintaining an erection compounds the effects of vascular failure. Inability to achieve orgasm in males and females originates from neuropathy and loss of erection.