
March 26, 2006
Insulin Pumps, Other
Question from Cleveland, Ohio, USA:
I wanted to know how the pump comes into play while having sexual intercourse. I know that you can leave your pump on, but that is DEFINITELY not an option for me. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Answer:
Like any physical activity, you can leave your pump off for up to an hour, but you will have to experiment and determine if and how much of your basal you will have to replace.
The first time, replace no insulin (this is the safest place to start) and check one, two and three hours after. If you see a rise in your blood sugar, you will have to replace some of the missed basal. Many people find that they have to replace anywhere from 25% to 100% of the basal depending on the level of physical activity. Replacing the basal rate should be done afterwards so you can properly match the physical intensity with the insulin replacement.
NB