Erectile Dysfunction

The elephant in the room, the bogie man, the subject nobody wants to talk about, Erectile Dysfunction. Most men would deny ever having an issue but! As with all other men’s health and mental health matters, I have no issue with talking about this, have I suffered from Erectile Dysfunction yes, I have tried the blue pill and in all honesty, it is not for me.

My issue is not physical though I have physical issues such as prolapsed discs which can be a factor. I can gain an erection 99% of the time be that through masturbation or with a sexual partner, there have been times I could not maintain an erection completely. I know this is a psychological issue and that is why I turned to talk therapy. CBT, NLP, meditations. I signed up for an online course at Mojo, through the course you do meditations, exercises, pelvic floor exercises, and various other things. As I already know CBT, NLP, self-hypnosis, and deep meditation techniques it is very much a case of listening to my own advice and using the toolset that I already possess.

Erectile dysfunction is a common problem where a man finds it hard to get or keep an erection.

The main symptom of erectile dysfunction is not being able to get or keep an erection.

Treatment for erectile dysfunction depends on the cause. Treatments include medicines, vacuum pumps, healthy lifestyle changes, and talking therapy.

Causes

Nerve damage

Damage to the nerves which cause the erection leads to reduced sensitivity thus making it increasingly difficult to achieve an erection.

A disease of the blood vessels

The blood vessels become narrowed and hardened. This reduces the blood supply to the penis which can lead to impotence.

When the penis does not fill adequately then the veins will not be closed off and the blood will leak back out of the penis. The erection will not be maintained.

Trauma

Such as injury to the spinal cord.

Pelvic surgery

Some operations on the prostate, bladder, or bowel may result in some nerve damage leading to impotence.

Drugs

Some drugs for blood pressure, depression, and sedatives have the side effect of causing impotence.

Smoking and alcohol

Those who smoke and drink are more likely to suffer from impotence.

In men with diabetes, the most common cause of erectile dysfunction is a disease of the blood vessels and/or nerve damage.

Treatments

The best first step is to visit a sexual health clinic, many offer walk-in appointments. Here you will have blood pressure taken, and a genital screening to see if there is a physical issue.

Counseling

Counseling can be part or all of the treatment required.

Tablet treatment

First-line treatment for most patients is now tablet treatment using either avanafil, sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil. Your GP will prescribe this for you in the first instance.

Hormone treatment

This is offered to those patients who are deficient in male hormones i.e. testosterone. Medication can restore the hormone imbalance and improve potency. This treatment will not have any effect on those who do not have a hormone imbalance.

Self-injection therapy

This treatment involves self-injecting a drug into the side of the penis each time you want to have an erection. The injection causes the muscle in the penis to relax allowing increased blood flow into the area.

Vacuum erection assistance devices

These are non-invasive methods of getting and sustaining an erection. To use this device the penis is inserted into a cylinder, using plenty of lubrication to ensure a good seal at the base of the penis. A small vacuum pump is attached to the other end of the cylinder. The pump creates a vacuum and this causes blood to be drawn into the penis thus causing an erection. A constriction ring is then placed onto the base of the penis to trap the blood in the penis and maintain an erectile state. The cylinder is then removed. The ring can be left in place for up to 30 minutes.