According to many specialists, erectile dysfunction is the most common sexual problem among American men. Nearly all males suffer from occasional short episodes of ED due to routine or short-term causes such as tiredness, emotional stress, or illness. For some erectile problems become chronic. While ED might be associated with decreased sexual interest, typically it isn't connected to libido (the emotional or psychic element of sexual interest), nor does it impact the capacity to experience an orgasm.
Male impotence can take place at any age, but it’s more common as men grow older. An estimated five percent of American men are impotent at age forty; among those over age sixty-five, the percentage rises to 15 to 25 percent. However, the issue is not an inevitable result of aging. The causes are complex, combining physical and psychological factors. While the the vast majority of men with erectile dysfunction can be helped, many experts feel that as many as 90 percent don't look for medical help due to fear of embarrassment and a belief that nothing can be done medically. This is unfortunate, because once underlying medical conditions and psychological factors are addressed, the regularity and duration of erections usually improves. Most males with erection problems don’t need to settle for them.Signs and Symptoms of Male Impotence
- Chronic difficulty getting and sustaining an erection for a period of time long enough to take part in sexual intercourse
- Fewer nighttime erections
What Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction?
In the past, over 90 percent of all cases of ED were associated with emotional factors. However, experts currently calculate that only about ten percent of cases are strictly psychological in origin.
An erection depends upon many physical factors, such as the blood flow and nerve tissue within the penis, as well as hormones. Circulatory problems, nerve disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and the negative side effects of specific medications (tranquilizers, blood pressure medications, antidepressants, and anti-inflammatory medications) can contribute to impotence. Smoking, unnecessary use of alcohol, and lower levels of the hormone testosterone may also come into play. Impotence may also be caused by prostate surgery or radiation treatment for cancer.
Psychological factors, such as stress, depression, and performance anxiety, believed to play a limited role in cases of erectile dysfunction. When such factors are involved, it's mainly in males under age forty. However even in older men, emotions and sexual history could complicate physical factors.
What If You Do Nothing?
Frequent or chronic erectile troubles are not going to improve without some kind of intervention, particularly among men over the age of fifty. There are proven treatments for ED, but out of embarrassment or a lack of knowledge about medical solutions, a lot of men choose to do absolutely nothing about their ED, which often leads to emotional distress.
Home Remedies for Impotence Problems
If you're having erectile problems, it’s a great idea to seek a medical assessment. If you've got an underlying illness, early treatment may restore sexual potency.
Getting more informed about sexual matters, undergoing treatment for physical problems, giving up tobacco use, and reducing excessive alcohol consumption can all contribute to restoring potency. If erectile dysfunction takes place only from time to time, some of the below measures may help address—and solve—the issue.
• Exercise regularly. Along with increasing blood circulation, regular moderate exercise—for example, walking, swimming, jogging, bicycling, or resistance training—helps raise energy levels, increases physical awareness, and stimulates sexuality. Don't forget that bicycle riding has with it a threat of seat or crossbar injuries to the perineal nerves (situated just behind the scrotum) that may lead to ED.
• Consume a healthy balanced diet.
• Restrict alcohol ingestion. ED among men in their late 40s and 50s is associated more regularly with excessive alcohol consumption than with any other single factor. There are numerous other health-related reasons to avoid excessive drinking, so if it appears to be dampening your sex life, scale back or avoid alcohol completely.
• Minimize stress in your life. Stress and other emotional problems can affect the brain and thus reduce libido and the ability to achieve or maintain a suitable erection.
• Give up smoking. Smoking has not been found to be an immediate cause for ED. Nevertheless, studies have found that when smoking is coupled with other risk factors, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and untreated arthritis, erectile dysfunction levels are constant and very high.
• Lose weight. Obesity is not necessarily a direct cause of erectile dysfunction, but researchers know that being obese is associated with the onset of diabetes and the buildup of fatty deposits on the interior walls of arteries, and these two problems are certainly related to erectile dysfunction.
• Relieve your anxieties. Don't assume each sexual experience has to end with orgasm. Thinking that you need to have a climax can make you nervous, which might lead to erectile dysfunction. As an alternative, your partner and you can agree to focus on caressing and kissing instead of having an orgasm. This might alleviate performance anxiety.
Medical Treatments for Erectile Dysfunction
A number of methods have been designed to treat erectile dysfunction that's caused chiefly by physical factors. If you decide to try any, speak to your doctor from a trustworthy office like Metropolitan Urological Specialist in St. Louis, Missouri about beginning with the least invasive—the oral prescription drug Viagra (sildenafil citrate). Viagra improves the flow of blood to your penis to allow for an erection, and it is effective for the majority of men: In one study, it alleviated impotence in nearly 70 percent of males. It might not be safe for some adult males with cardiovascular disease.
For these males, there are some other treatment options for erectile dysfunction, though they're more invasive or cumbersome. One choice is a penile suppository, which is placed into the urethra 10 to 30 minutes before intercourse; a drug is dispensed that widens arteries in the penis, causing an erection which lasts 30 to 60 minutes in about two thirds of men in most cases. The drug, known as alprostadil, can also be administered by injection with an ultrathin needle into the base of the penis (which could produce infection or scarring as side effects).
A third option is a vacuum erection device (VED)—a pump that draws blood into the penis. It may seem awkward, but it has a really low failure rate and no significant side effects.
By comparison, a penile implant, consisting of a bendable rod or an inflatable cylinder connected to a little pump, has downsides that make it the very least popular option. Not only does an implant necessitate surgery, but implants may fail or become infected, and then need to be eliminated. Be sure to get a second, or even third, opinion before getting an implant.
Beyond Home Remedies: When You Should Contact Your Doctor
Contact your health care provider if you are consistently unable to achieve or maintain an erection. Also get hold of your doctor if new medications you are taking have caused a change in erectile function, or if work-related stress or other psychological factors are impacting your sexual abilities. (The side effect of numerous prescription drugs for depression, allergies, and cardiovascular disease is erectile dysfunction.) Over 200 medications currently on the market can significantly affect sexual performance. Physicians at the Center For Sexual Health in St. Louis, MO including Dr. Cathy Naughton have a lot of experience helping men with their ED issues.
What Your Doctor Will Do
The first thing your doctor should do is take a comprehensive medical and sexual history. If mild to moderate erectile dysfunction is identified, your doctor might suggest an experienced urology specialist, who can perform tests to find out if blood flow to the penis is adequate. The medical specialist might also find out whether spinal cord problems may be involved or if blood testosterone levels are low.
If your issue is basically psychological, a physician should give you advice or refer you and your partner to a therapist. (If you're waking up at night or in the morning with a full, firm erection, then the cause of the dysfunction is most likely psychological.) Sex therapy delivers a cure rate of 60 to 80 percent for erectile problems brought on by psychological causes. If counseling is needed, a referral from your physician or from a psychologist is probably the best way to find a properly certified sex therapist, however some family practitioners might have training in sexual therapy.
If the problem is associated with medicine you're taking, your doctor will discuss with you about alternative medicines that will not impact your ability to have an erection.
For impotence that can't be treated by some other means, some medical solutions are available. Be certain to try all nonsurgical choices before thinking about a penile implant. If you've got any other queries, contact Metropolitan Urological Specialists at 314-315-9911.
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