You Don't Have to Live with Erectile Dysfunction

Many things contribute to your overall well-being, and a healthy and active sex life is definitely one of them. So, when an issue like erectile dysfunction makes an unwelcome appearance, you want to figure out a way to get your sex life back on track.

Now consider this: Between 30 million and 50 million men in the United States struggle with erectile dysfunction.

What these large numbers mean for you is that men’s health experts, such as the team here at Arizona Urology, have a good deal of experience helping men address erectile dysfunction (ED). And we assure you that there are answers, once we figure out what’s going on.

Erections are complex

Getting an erection may seem simple enough, but in reality, it’s a complex process that involves several areas of your health.

Most erections start with arousal — you see or feel something, and your brain takes in this sensory information and kicks off the erection cascade. This starts with relaxing the muscles in your penis and increasing blood flow to the organ. 

Then, the pressure and the valves in the corpora cavernosa in your penis trapped the blood to create the erection. After you have sex, the valves open back up to allow blood to flow out, making your penis flaccid again.

So, that simple erection relies on good function in several areas of your health, including:

• Hormonal health
• Cardiovascular health
• Nerve health
• Emotional and mental health

A malfunction or roadblock in any one of these areas can lead to ED.

Getting to the bottom of your ED

If you’re experiencing ED, our first order of business is to figure out what's driving the issue. When you come to see us, we review your medical history and current health and then run some tests.

In many cases, the ED stems from a lack of blood flow because of cardiovascular disease. For example, about half of the men who have coronary artery disease develop ED as a result.

Or, maybe we find that your testosterone numbers are below normal, which can certainly lead to ED.

Another road to ED is purely mental and emotional — you might be going through something that’s having an impact on your ability to become aroused.

As you might imagine, with each of these scenarios, how we treat the ED is different, so it’s important to first get to the bottom of your inability to achieve and maintain an erection.

Treatment options for ED

As we mentioned, there’s good news in the otherwise frustrating world of ED — there are solutions. For example, you might benefit from prescription medications that increase blood flow to your penis if blocked arteries are to blame for your ED.

Other solutions include:

• Hormone replacement therapy to get testosterone levels back up
• Vacuum devices that create an erection
• Penile implants
• Counseling

We will also likely recommend lifestyle changes to help improve your sex life and ability to get an erection, such as losing weight, exercising more, and avoiding too much alcohol or any smoking.

The best way to figure out which approach will work best for your ED is to sit down with one of our specialists. And the sooner the better, because we understand that a happy sex life can very much spill over into general well-being.

To get to the other side of your ED, please schedule an appointment at one of our offices in Phoenix, Goodyear, Gilbert, and Glendale, Arizona, today for a thorough evaluation.