Erectile Dysfunction options

Erectile dysfunction or ED is the consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse. It can be a total inability to achieve an erection, an inconsistent ability to do so or a tendency to sustain only brief erections. Roughly 50% of men between the ages of 40 and 70 have erectile dysfunction. The causes of erectile dysfunction for the most part are physical. So what is an erection? An erection is an involuntary reaction in response to sexual stimulation and excitement. There are nerves, veins and arteries in the penis and it's the relationship between these structures that allow the erection to occur. When the chemicals are produced in the body due to sexual arousal they influence the muscles and blood flow in the penis. When it's not working properly there are ways that we can deal with this. Treatment options can include oral medications such as Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis or vacuum erection devices, injection therapy, urethral suppositories or penile implants. The oral medications can alter the chemical reactions normally produced in the body. Injection therapy is similar but allows for more concentrated higher dosing than the oral medications. When other treatment options don't work or there are other factors such as a radical prostatectomy, diabetes, trauma to the penis, severe venous leak or Peyronie’s disease then we have the option of a penile implant. A penile implant involves cylinders that fit into the erectile body, a reservoir that goes behind the abdominal wall and a pump that goes in the scrotum. The penile prosthesis is totally implanted. When an erection is desired the pump is manipulated to transfer fluid from the reservoir into the cylinders creating an erection. At the conclusion that pump is again manipulated allowing the fluid to transfer from the cylinders back to the reservoir. So there are options you just have to match the appropriate treatment to the patient.