Erectile dysfunction can cause fertility difficulties.
What Is Erectile Dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to get an erection. An erection happens when blood is pumped from the vessels which supply the penis. This blood fills the penis and a valve then closes to prevent it from flowing back out again. This causes the penis to become erect. In men who suffer from erectile dysfunction, this doesn't happen. This means that sexual intercourse is either impossible or only possible for a very short time. This can put a strain on the relationship and if the couple is trying to get pregnant, it can severely limit the possibility of conception.
What Causes Erectile Dysfunction?
There are a number of medical and emotional problems which can cause ED. Medical problems include:
- Diabetes. Some men with diabetes have ED as a result
- Obesity
- The effects of drugs including alcohol, cigarettes, illicit substances like cocaine and prescription medications, particularly anti-depressants
- High blood pressure
- Hormonal imbalances - too much of the hormone pro-lactin, which induces milk production in females, can cause ED
- Prostate cancer and/or prostate surgeries or other major surgeries
- Nervous system disorders
- Valve problems in the penis (where the blood drains back out again)
- Spinal cord injuries
Emotional problems include:
- Stress - over work, not enough sleep, worrying about unrelated problems such as finances or perhaps relationship problems
- Worrying about sexual 'performance' - this is more common in new relationships and can also happen if you have gotten back together after a separation or if there has been a previous infidelity. If there are infertility problems, a man may suffer with ED because of the pressure to produce a pregnancy in his wife.
- Depression (particularly if on medication)
- Sexual identity problems - for instance, if you are unsure if you are homosexual or not and may have mixed feelings about sleeping with a woman.
What Treatments Are Available?
It depends upon the cause of your ED as to what type of treatment is offered. If it has an emotional cause you will be offered counseling and possibly relationship counseling and sex therapy. Sometimes erection inducing drugs may be used in conjunction with therapy but many doctors prefer not to use medications for psychological problems.
There are a variety of treatments for medically caused ED, including drug therapy to induce erection, such as Viagra or Levitra or a similar drug. It is important that you see a doctor for a full examination and exploration of medical history because these drugs can be dangerous to people with heart conditions and can cause nasty side-effects like heart palpitations, muscle pain, dizziness and even in some rare cases, blindness. They can interact badly with certain drugs for heart conditions and with antibiotics and even grapefruit juice, so you must NEVER buy pills from the internet. You must be seen by a medical practitioner to ensure you get the right treatment for you. In any case, some of the pills on the internet may not be what they purport to be and may be mixed with other substances which could be dangerous.
Other treatments include giving erection inducing medication via injection into the penis or penal rings. These are placed around the base of the penis and can stop the blood from flowing back out of the penis, therefore helping to maintain an erection. They can be used in conjunction with a pump.
If your ED is caused by a faulty valve, it may be possible to have surgery to tighten up the valve. There is also an operation to insert a rod into the penis so that a man can simply lift his penis up when he wants to have intercourse. There are risks, however, of infection and bleeding so many doctors will only refer for surgery as a last resort.
