Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction: what is it?

One kind of penile disease is erectile dysfunction (ED). It has an impact on your capacity to get and sustain an erection that is sufficiently hard for sexual activity.

Your emotions have a big impact on achieving and keeping an erection. It’s crucial to feel calm, assured, and stimulated. But sometimes experiencing erection problems is natural. Anxiety, frustration, fatigue, or nervousness may all lead to erection issues. Alcohol use and/or drug use may also have an impact. It may also be a side effect of certain drugs or cancer therapies, or it may be the outcome of other illnesses.

It’s a good idea to make an appointment with a healthcare professional for more discussion if you’re experiencing trouble achieving or sustaining an erection.

Erectile dysfunction is often the first sign of some underlying issue, such as heart disease. It’s critical to see a medical professional if you have difficulties achieving and sustaining an erection.

Erectile dysfunction is also known as:

impotence.

Which forms of erectile dysfunction exist?

Medical professionals classify ED into many categories:

Problems with vascular erectile function. Vascular ED encompasses conditions that impact the valves in the penis that typically retain blood within, or the blood arteries that provide blood to the tissues in your penis that enable you to achieve and sustain an erection. Among ED types, vascular ED is the most prevalent.
erectile dysfunction that is neurogenic. Nerve issues that stop signals from your brain from reaching your penis to produce an erection are the cause of neurogenic ED. Trauma, pelvic surgery, radiation treatment, or neurological disorders including multiple sclerosis (MS), spinal stenosis, and stroke may all cause this.
erectile dysfunction caused by hormones. ED caused by a lack of testosterone or, in some situations, thyroid problems is referred to as hormonal ED.
erectile dysfunction that is psychogenic. A psychological disorder that affects your ideas, emotions, or behaviour is known as psychogenic ED.

What is the prevalence of erectile dysfunction?

The most frequent sex-related ailment that men report to medical professionals is erectile dysfunction, particularly as they become older and have other health problems.

What age does erectile dysfunction often manifest?

According to medical experts and providers, more than half of males between the ages of 40 and 70 suffer from erectile dysfunction. And those figures could be higher since many people are ashamed or embarrassed about the ailment and choose not to get treatment.

Causes and Symptoms

What signs of erectile dysfunction are present?

Symptoms of erectile dysfunction include:

obtaining an erection before to sexual activity only in certain situations.
having the ability to get an erection before to sexual activity but failing to sustain it throughout it.
total failure to get an erection.
needing a lot of stimulation in order to keep an erection going.

Erectile dysfunction: what causes it?

ED may have a variety of reasons, such as illnesses that impact your:

Circulatory system : The blood vessels that transport blood throughout your body are part of your circulatory system. To get and maintain an erection, your penis requires enough blood flow. When your penis fills with blood, it also depends on a number of valves to seal; sometimes, these valves malfunction.

Nervous system : Your brain, spinal cord, and nerves make up your nervous system. Together, they transmit electrical impulses that enable your penis and other parts of your body to move and feel.

Endocrine system : The glands that produce and release hormones are part of your endocrine system. Hormones assist in directing your body to carry out certain tasks. Your penis may get more blood flow if testosterone helps vasodilate, or open up, your blood vessels.

Among the potential contributing elements are:

Diabetes and neuropathy associated with diabetes.
hypertension, or elevated blood pressure.
elevated cholesterol levels, or hyperlipidaemia.
vascular illness.
chronic renal disease.
atherosclerosis.
Peyronie’s illness.
low testosterone (deficit of testosterone).
stroke.
epilepsy.

ED may also result from trauma or injuries to the penis and surrounding tissues. Among them are:

fracture of the penis.
injuries to the spinal cord, bladder, prostate, and pelvic bones (hip, sacrum, and tailbone).
surgery for cancers of the prostate, colon, or bladder, as well as pelvic surgery.
radiation treatment.

Some drugs

A frequent adverse effect of several pharmaceutical medications is erectile dysfunction. ED is often listed as a possible adverse effect of the following medications:

antidepressants.
drugs that reduce anxiety (anxiolytics).
drugs for blood pressure.
diuretics.
antihistamines.
medications used in chemotherapy.
medications for Parkinson’s disease.
medications for prostate cancer.
antiarrhythmics.
sedatives.
Muscle relaxers.
drugs that prevent seizures.

Additional substances

ED may be brought on by substances that have the potential to become addictive, such as:

Alcohol.
Amphetamines.
barbiturates.
Cocaine.
Cannabis.
Methadone.
nicotine.
opioids.

Your central nervous system may be impacted and suppressed by these drugs. Additionally, they may seriously harm your blood vessels, which might result in irreversible erectile dysfunction.

Emotional and/or psychological problems
depression.
Fear.
Stress.
Fear of intimacy or sexual contact (genophobia).
little regard for oneself.

What is erectile dysfunction’s main cause?

The most frequent cause of erectile dysfunction is disorders that impair your body’s capacity to provide blood to your penis.

Who is affected by erectile dysfunction?

You could be more susceptible to developing ED if you:

are at least 40.
possess diabetes.
own a BMI of more over 25.
Be depressed.
are not active physically.
Smoke.

Testing and Diagnosis

How is a diagnosis of erectile dysfunction made?

A medical professional can identify the cause of ED and provide a diagnosis. They will examine you physically and go over your medical history. Enquiries into your sexual and personal past will also be made. You could feel uneasy or embarrassed by these enquiries. But in order to identify the problem as soon as possible, it’s critical to be truthful with the provider. Among the possible questions are:

Do you presently use any medicines, including over-the-counter, prescription, herbal, nutritional, and non-medical supplements?
Have you ever received a diagnosis of anxiety or depression from a medical professional?
Do you experience stress frequently?
Are you having issues in your relationship?
How often can you have an erection?
How difficult do you get erections?
For what length of time can you sustain an erection?
When you ejaculate earlier than you would want, do you lose your erection?
When did you first become aware of erectile dysfunction symptoms?
When you initially experienced the symptoms of erectile dysfunction, what specifically happened?
Have you ever had an erection in the morning or at night?
Which sexual postures do you often adopt?
Additionally, the provider could want to speak with your sexual partner. Your spouse could have more information about such reasons.

To confirm their diagnosis and identify the reason of your ED, the clinician could prescribe testing.

In order to identify erectile dysfunction, what tests will be performed?

What your doctor believes is causing your erectile dysfunction will determine this. Your supplier could place an order for:

blood examinations.
total blood count (CBC).
lipid panel.
testing for liver function.
testing for kidney function.
testing for the thyroid.
test for testosterone.
Urinalysis (test for urine).
Doppler ultrasonography of the penis.
Penile biothesiometry tests determine if your penis’ nerves react to vibrations.
medications that give you a transient erection (vasoactive injection).
MRA stands for magnetic resonance angiography.

Before the exam, your physician will answer any questions you may have and explain what the test entails. You may choose not to take the exam at any moment if it makes you uncomfortable.

Handling and Therapy

How can erectile dysfunction be resolved?

Finding the root reason is the first step in treating erectile dysfunction. A medical professional will assist you in choosing the best course of action. Options for treatment might include:

cardiovascular workout. Some moderate instances of ED may be reversible with vigorous aerobic activity three times a week for at least forty-five minutes. Jogging, swimming, cycling, jumping rope, and brisk walking are examples of cardiovascular workouts.
Giving up smoking. After a few months, men with moderate ED may see improvements from stopping smoking.
speaking with a sex advisor.
oral drugs such as vardenafil (Levitra®), tadalafil (Cialis®), avanafil (Stendra®), or sildenafil (Viagra®) that aid in boosting blood flow to your penis. Within an hour, oral drugs begin to take effect.
Low-intensity focused shockwave treatment for the penis (LiSWT). This non-invasive procedure uses sound waves to increase blood flow. Improvement may not be seen for up to two months.
drugs that you inject directly into your penis to produce an erection, such as phentolamine (Regitine®), papaverine (Papacon®), alprostadil (Caverject®), or a mix of these drugs. It takes ten minutes for injectable drugs to begin working.
Penis pump, a vacuum constriction device. Penis pumps begin to function almost instantly.
testosterone replacement treatment, which comes in pellets, injections, gels, and patches. Within four weeks, testosterone replacement treatment begins to show results.
technique for a penile implant. A penile implant is a technique where a surgeon inserts a hardening device into your penis. The gadget has no effect on orgasm, urination, or feeling.

Will ED disappear by itself?

Without lifestyle modifications or therapy, ED is unlikely to go away on its own.

Avoidance

Is it possible to avoid ED?

You may reduce your chance of erectile dysfunction by adopting certain lifestyle modifications, such as:

lowering your cholesterol.
increasing one’s level of physical activity, particularly via cardiovascular workouts like cycling, jogging, or running.
keeping you at a healthy weight.
obtaining restful slumber.
consuming nutritious meals including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that are low in saturated fats.
quitting smoking.
cutting down on or quitting alcohol.

Prognosis and Outlook

If I have erectile dysfunction, what can I anticipate?

Erectile dysfunction has a fair prognosis and is often treated. Even though some ED reasons cannot be cured, there are several therapy alternatives that may help you achieve and sustain an erection strong enough for sexual activity.