Erectile Dysfunction Treatment | HealthInfi

Men do not ask about treatment because they believe that nothing can be done. In fact, everything is different. The overwhelming majority of male erectile dysfunction can be treated.

You do not need to feel awkward while talking to your doctor. It is important to be completely candid with him that he could obtain a complete and accurate picture and assign you the right treatment, give you the necessary information and provide appropriate support.

Treatment & Care

If you think you have ED, a good first step is to talk with your doctor. The treatment you need – ranging from lifestyle changes to medication to surgery – will depend on what’s causing it.

What Tests Will a Urologist Do If I Have ED?

Men need a lot of different body parts working the right way — from the brain and glands that control hormones to bloodvessels and the penis — to get and keep an erection. Because of that, erectile dysfunction, or ED, can have a lot of causes. Some of them are physical; others are mental and emotional. Physical reasons for ED range from heart disease and diabetesto high blood pressure and obesity. Damage to your nerves or arteries can cause problems with erections, too. Lack of exercise, drinking, and smoking can lead to problems.

On the mental and emotional side of things, anxiety, depression, and stressall play a role. Relationship issues can also be a factor.

With so many possible causes, your doctor has a number of tests he can use to figure out the best treatment for you.

Medical and Sexual History

This one’s not actually a test, but your doctor will likely start with questions about your medical and sexual history. The reason is simple: He wants to better understand how ED affects you and see whether there might be a clear cause for it. When you talk about past surgeries, medicine you take, injuries, and lifestyle choices, your doctor can learn about diseases or other issues you might have that might lead to ED.

By asking about your sexual history — your relationships, sex drive, if you ever get erections — he can begin to figure out whether the problem is more likely to be physical or mental. Be honest with your doctor; he can’t help you if you withhold information.

Physical Exam

Your doctor will check your penis and testicles to make sure they look normal and their nerves work as expected. He may also look for hair loss and larger-than-normal breasts. Both of these can be signs that you have a hormone problem.

Blood and Urine Tests

Based on your physical exam as well as your medical and sexual history, your doctor may want to order certain blood or urine tests. He’ll use these to check for problems that can lead to ED, such as:

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Kidney disease
• Hormonal problems such as low testosterone

One type of blood test can check your thyroid function. A butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, it has a lot of jobs to do. One of them is to help with the flow of sex hormones. This test can check whether it’s working right.

Overnight Erection Test

Usually, men have 3 to 5 erections during the night as they sleep. Your doctor may use an overnight erection test to see whether you’re able to get an erection.

For this test, you will place a device around your penis before you go to sleep. It measures how many erections you have and how strong they are. A simpler version of this test uses a special plastic ring around your penis. If you get an erection, the ring breaks.

If the test shows that you can get erections, it’s more likely that the ED is caused by something mental or emotional.Read More