Age-related increases in the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) are not inevitable. Improving one’s lifestyle and getting medical care can help with ED, which is a warning indication of underlying health problems.
Tell your doctor the whole story of your erectile dysfunction. It may be uncomfortable to answer some of his questions, but doing so will help him provide you with the most appropriate care.
Physical Changes
As you become older, you may expect to see a wide range of physical changes in your body. The flexibility of your skin may decrease, you may lose your hair, and your eyesight and hearing may worsen. Loss of muscle mass and density in the bones both increase the risk of falling, especially after the age of 35. Your kidneys also decrease in size and you have to urinate more often as you get older.
These alterations in appearance may not necessarily warrant alarm. They are common and usually not cause for concern. Unfortunately, erectile dysfunction may be a sign of a more serious health issue. The inability to routinely maintain an erection can cause stress in relationships and low self-esteem. The good news is that ED can be treated, and your confidence in the bedroom can be restored.
Erectile dysfunction
To determine the cause of your erectile dysfunction, your doctor will conduct a battery of exams. Your overall health will be evaluated with a physical exam, and an ophthalmologic evaluation may be necessary to rule out eye problems as a possible cause of your erectile dysfunction. If your sexual performance is affected by problems with blood flow or nerves, your doctor will check your genitalia to diagnose these conditions. Male sexual dysfunction and impotence can be treated with medications like Cialis Online Australia.
Your doctor may also request a blood or urine sample to rule out other potential causes of erectile dysfunction, like diabetes or heart disease. Erectile dysfunction is often brought on by mental health problems including anxiety and sadness. You may improve your quality of life and conquer erectile dysfunction by focusing on these areas. If you’re having trouble getting sexual satisfaction, your doctor may suggest trying acupuncture to help relax the muscles in your genitalia.
Find an acupuncturist who is conscientious about patient health and safety. Pick an acupuncturist who has experience treating erectile dysfunction specifically. In addition, make it a habit to get regular exercise to boost your sexual hormones, heart health, flexibility, and mood.
Hormonal Fluctuations
But ED is never normal, and no matter what age you are, you should never ignore it. It’s a red flag that something is wrong with a man’s health and it can cause tension in relationships and stress.
Reduced hormone levels are a common side effect of aging and can make it difficult to achieve and maintain an erection. The penis’s blood supply could also decrease. This might lead to discomfort or even numbness in the affected area. The ability to ejaculate and have an orgasmic experience can be hindered by a lack of blood flow.
There is no single, easy-to-identify cause of ED. In addition to asking about your current symptoms, your doctor will want to know about your sexual history. They will conduct a full physical examination, including a thorough assessment of your sexual health. Anemia, which can affect sexual function, may also be checked for with a complete blood count (CBC).
Medications used to treat high blood pressure, cholesterol, or prostate cancer, as well as diabetes, can all contribute to erectile dysfunction. The decrease in testosterone that may result from these drugs may also affect sexual desire.
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Depression
Erectile dysfunction can also be caused by mental health issues like depression. It can make a person less sexually aroused and raise their levels of both overt and covert worry. These problems can be helped by psychotherapy with a competent therapist.
Multiple psychological, neurological, vascular, and endocrine systems work together to bring about an erection. After being stimulated by sexual arousal, the hypothalamus sends signals to the medial preoptic and periventricular nuclei, which then send messages to the pituitary gland, which produces growth hormone, the thyroid, the adrenal cortex, the ovaries, and the testes.
Erectile dysfunction is typically brought on by a medical condition rather than getting older. You can get your erection back with the help of your doctor, who can diagnose the problem and provide a treatment plan.
Alterations in Emotion
The emotional shifts that come with getting older aren’t always clear. Although sometimes negative feelings can indeed lessen in intensity, this isn’t always the case. Some areas of our emotional lives seem to get better as we get older, according to studies. For instance, the ability to filter out non-essential data may help the elderly concentrate on what matters—their emotional responses. This is beneficial since it improves their ability to recognize and react to their feelings.
The deterioration and functional slowdown of emotion-relevant brain and autonomic systems with aging, however, has been linked to a reduced reactivity to emotionally arousing situations in the elderly, according to another study. This may explain why it’s harder to get and keep an erection, and why older men’s erections tend to be weaker and shorter.
Certain health issues, such as diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure, can further impair the ability to maintain erections. If ED symptoms persist or worsen, medical attention should be sought immediately. To diagnose and treat these medical issues, a doctor will conduct a battery of diagnostic procedures.
PDE5 inhibitors
A doctor may recommend a treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) that takes into account both psychological and physical factors if the patient shows no evidence of other health problems. The physician may recommend PDE5 inhibitors, which enhance blood flow to the penis, or sex therapy to aid with the patient’s sexual cravings and depression. These drugs are well tolerated by seniors and work well in tandem with sex therapy to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). The doctor may also suggest avoiding certain foods or substances that can decrease blood flow to the penis, as part of the prescribed dietary adjustments. If the patient is experiencing erectile dysfunction, he will also be advised to give up smoking, cut back on alcohol, and stay away from narcotics. Both his physical and sexual health will improve as a result of this.
Health Problems
However, if these symptoms persist, medical attention should be sought. In some cases, such as with heart disease, erectile dysfunction is a symptom of a more serious medical issue that needs attention. Sexual closeness isn’t the only thing that might be hampered by this.
An erection is the result of nerve, blood vessel, and brain synchronization. There may be less coordination between these processes as we become older. Vascular illnesses like atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) can cause a patient’s penis to stop receiving blood. Stroke and multiple sclerosis are just two examples of neurological illnesses that can bring on ED. Age-related decline in testosterone levels is another factor that contributes to erectile dysfunction.
Treatment options exist for restoring sexual penile firmness. Your doctor’s treatment recommendation for erectile dysfunction (ED) will be based on the underlying cause. Medication and other direct treatments, such as injectable therapy, may be effective for some underlying disorders. Your doctor may also suggest various non-invasive treatments, such as sex hormones.
Surgical procedures
Surgery to remove a portion of the prostate or a procedure termed micropenis insertion is two examples of more invasive treatments that may be necessary for some patients. The optimal treatment for your ED will be determined by its underlying cause, your age, and your current health status.
Depression and other mental health problems have been linked to ED. If this describes you, seeing a trained counselor to work through your guilt and fear can be quite beneficial.
It may be possible to cure ED by addressing the underlying reason in certain men. Other direct methods may be necessary in other circumstances. In any case, we want to get back to enjoying ourselves sexually. Patient satisfaction in hugging, genital stroking, and oral sex remains high even when patients are unable to achieve a hard erection for penetrative sex. Most patients can appreciate these forms of sexuality with the help of a patient and understanding partner.