Sexual Potency

When psychological factors or difficulties in the man’s relationship with his partner are considered an important cause for erectile dysfunction, a course of sex or couple’s therapy might be recommended. It is very useful in helping couples re-establish a sexual relationship when there has been a long period without sexual interaction because of erectile dysfunction. Sex therapy is sometimes advocated in combination with other forms of treatment. Continue Reading »

Oral drugs which induce erection have revolutionised the treatment of ED over the last eight years. They don’t work for everybody, but they do work for the majority – even in diabetes. They can also help people with neurological and spinal problems.

Also, the choice of available drugs means that if one particular drug doesn’t suit you, it’s well worth trying one of the others.  Continue Reading »

Prior to the launch of Viagra®, the little blue pill that revolutionized the treatment of male impotence, impotence vacuum pumps were one of the most popular and successful impotence treatments available.

Impotence vacuum pumps remain the preferable option and the most viable alternative to the new impotence drugs for a large number of men.

Impotence (or erectile dysfunction) is defined as the inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, and includes the inability to get an erection as a result of sexual stimulation or to lose your erection prior to ejaculation.

For an erection to occur, blood vessels in the penis must be healthy and strong enough to dilate and allow for additional blood flow, which creates and maintains an erection before and during sexual intercourse. After ejaculation, the blood vessels gradually contract. Continue Reading »

Generic Viagra (sildenafil citrate) contains the same active ingredients used in Pfizer Pharmaceutical’s Viagra®.

Viagra is an oral medication for the treatment of male impotence.

Impotence (or erectile dysfunction) is defined as the inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, and includes the inability to get an erection as a result of sexual stimulation or to lose your erection prior to ejaculation.

Impotence does not generally include other symptoms such as lack of libido, inability to ejaculate or the inability to achieve orgasm.

Generic Viagra works by relaxing the smooth muscles and blood vessels in the penis. This allows the blood vessels to expand and fill with blood, producing an erection. Continue Reading »

There are a number of devices that can help men to achieve a better erection and to have successful sex.

Vacuum pumps.

A pump is a cylinder which you put over your penis. You then pump out the air. That should ‘suck’ your penis into an erection – which, however, tends to be a bit cold and blue-looking.

Rings

Specially-designed rings which fit round the base of the male organ are often used with vacuum pumps. However, they can be tried on their own. The idea is that the ring helps stop the blood from flowing out of the penis.

External splints

These are supposed to prop the penis up during sex. Not awfully successful, in my view.

Vibrators

Although vibrators aren’t often prescribed by doctors (and certainly not on the NHS), I have found that they can be quite useful in urging a lethargic penis into life. Some vibrating devices such as the Penisator actually clip round the male organ.

Oral drugs which induce erection have revolutionised the treatment of ED over the last seven years. They don’t work for everybody, but they do work for the majority – even in diabetes. They can also help people with neurological and spinal problems.

Also, the choice of available drugs means that if one particular drug doesn’t suit you, it’s well worth trying one of the others.

There are three orally-administered drugs available in the UK. They all have side-effects, only a few of which we can list here. For more information, read the package insert leaflet, and if in doubt ask your doctor.

It is not safe for some people to use these drugs and some medications interact dangerously with them. Therefore, before going on any of these pills you should always see a doctor, talk things over with him, and have a physical check-up. Continue Reading »

• Alcohol and tobacco use
• Fatigue
• Brain or spinal-cord injuries
• Hypogonadism (which leads to lower testosterone levels)
• Liver or kidney failure
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Radiation therapy to the testicles
• Stroke
• Some types of prostate or bladder surgery

How do I know my ED is not in my head?

Many years ago most men with ED were thought to have psychological problems. This was the result of our ignorance of the normal mechanism of erection and the causes of ED. We now realize that most men have underlying physical causes.

If I worry about my ability to get an erection can I make a bad condition worse?

Nothing happens in the body without the brain; worrying about your ability to get an erection can itself interfere with the process. This condition is called performance anxiety and can be overcome with education and treatment. Continue Reading »

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a medical term that describes the inability to achieve and or maintain an erect penis adequate for sexual function. This condition is one of the most common sexual problems for men and the number of men suffering from ED increases with age. Approximately 25 million American men suffer from ED, although not all men are equally distressed by the problem.

What happens under normal conditions?

Achieving a normal erection is a complex process involving psychological impulses from the brain, adequate levels of the male sex hormone testosterone, a functioning nervous system, and adequate and healthy vascular tissue in the penis. The simplest way to describe the process of erection is to think of a washing machine. The “on-off” switch (the brain) initiates the process; the wires in the washing machine (the nerves) carry the electrical signal to the pipes (the blood vessels), when an appropriate signal arrives a valve opens to allow water to flow in (the arteries carry blood into the penis) and the drain shuts (the penile veins close). Water flows in and fills the tank (the penis fills with blood and becomes erect) and the wash cycle begins (enjoys sexual activity). At the end of the wash cycle this process reverses, the switch goes to the off position (the brain terminates erection), the valve closes (the arteries markedly decrease blood inflow) and the drain opens draining the wash tank of water (the veins open, blood leaves the penis and erection subsides). Continue Reading »

Most physicians suggest that treatments proceed from least to most invasive. For some men, making a few healthy lifestyle changes may solve the problem. Quitting smoking, losing excess weight, and increasing physical activity may help some men regain sexual function.

Cutting back on any drugs with harmful side effects is considered next. For example, drugs for high blood pressure work in different ways. If you think a particular drug is causing problems with erection, tell your doctor and ask whether you can try a different class of blood pressure medicine.

Psychotherapy and behavior modifications in selected patients are considered next if indicated, followed by oral or locally injected drugs, vacuum devices, and surgically implanted devices. In rare cases, surgery involving veins or arteries may be considered. Continue Reading »