Erectile Dysfunction affects as many as 30 million men. Most men have problems with erections from time to time. In some men, these problems are regular and more severe. ED, or erectile dysfunction, is when it is hard to get or keep an erection that’s firm enough for sex.
Erectile Dysfunction Treatment
To improve erection problems, your health care provider may need to treat the root causes. Your provider may ask you to change certain habits, such as stopping smoking, drug or alcohol use. Treating emotional problems, such as relationship conflicts, depression or performance anxiety can also help. Cutting back on or changing certain meds can often improve ED. Do not stop taking your medicine or change any meds without talking to your health care provider first. If a blood test shows low testosterone levels (low T), testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may help. However, if a blood test shows you have normal testosterone levels, adding TRT will not help your erection problems.
Other Erectile Dysfunction Treatment
- Oral drugs, known as PDE-5 inhibitors. These drugs relax muscle cells in the penis and increase blood flow. (These are the drugs you see often on TV and internet ads.)
- A vacuum erection device pulls blood into the penis, causing an erection. An elastic ring is then slipped onto the base of the penis. This holds the blood in the penis (and keeps it hard) for up to 30 minutes.
- Self-injection therapy. By injecting this medication into the penis with a very fine needle, an erection is created.
- Intraurethral therapy. Patients place a tiny medicated pellet of the drug alprostadil into their urethra. (The urethra is the tube that carries urine out of the body). This causes an erection.
- A urologist can surgically implant one of two types of penile prostheses.
Ask your doctor which erectile dysfunction treatment is right for you. Dietary supplements (often called “herbal remedies”) for ED are popular but may not be safe or even work. Unlike prescription drugs, they do not have to be proven to work. Check with your health care provider before you take any supplements or medicine to treat your ED.
The good news for many men is that ED can be treated safely, and treatments can work well. If you have ED, there is hope. There is help. Talk to your health care provider to see if one of these treatment choices will work for you.
ED is treatable at all ages
Adult Pediatric Urology in Omaha, NE
Our Clinical Research Department was developed to fulfill our mission to provide high-quality patient centered care. When existing treatments fail or significantly lower your quality of life we seek out new, safe methods that give you more options and make further advancements in the fields of urology and urogynecology.
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