Erectile dysfunction is a serious issue! It can challenge a man’s confidence, sexual behavior, and stress levels. It is labeled as one of the sexual disorders that men are extremely unconfident to talk about. Not just because it could hamper your sexual wellness and disturb your intimate life. But also because it could possibly mean there could be serious health repercussions in the body.
And this could be a heart-related disease, diabetes, blood pressure, stress or any other lifestyle disease you might not have expected coming. Getting an erection is a complicated process. It requires certain chemicals to be released along with some physiological changes occurring in the body.
Any failure in one of these actions could lead to erectile dysfunction. And so it is important to diagnose erectile dysfunction! Being a self-diagnosable medical condition, knowing if you suffer from erectile dysfunction is pretty easy!
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Erectile dysfunction – what is it?
Erectile dysfunction is a condition where a man is not able to get or keep a healthy erection for sexual intercourse. Here the ‘satisfaction’ of engaging in sexual intercourse is lost. This sexual disorder is a common occurrence in men of all ages from 18 to 70.
While there are several health diseases and conditions related to the occurrence of erectile dysfunction in men, sometimes it is the unhealthy lifestyle, stress levels, obesity, etc that bring about the symptoms of impotency.
Research has it that about 60% of men suffering from ED are embarrassed to consult a doctor for their intimate issues.
Men find it extremely difficult to understand and cope with the idea of losing their erections. As most men associate their confidence levels with masculinity, ED ends up disturbing their confidence levels. Erectile dysfunction also hampers relationships, stress levels, sleep patterns and a healthy lifestyle.
How do I know if I have erectile dysfunction – Early signs and symptoms!
Erectile Dysfunction does not occur in a day. It is the continuous process that starts showing its symptoms in your regular life.
Apart from the inability to get or keep firm erections during sexual intercourse for enough ‘satisfaction’, there are other symptoms that one shall be able to check on to understand if they have erectile dysfunction.
Here are some early signs and symptoms that your body gives you!
- Difficulty in getting an erection
- Soft erections
- Change in the angle of erections
- Reduced penile sensitivity
- Pain in the penis
- Occurrence of related diseases
- Decrease in sexual desire
- Contra-indicated medicines
If even after manual stimulation and sexual arousal you are facing difficulties getting an erection, it could mean that you are experiencing erectile dysfunction. Sexual arousal followed by stimulation by your partner/self is enough for a normal erection to occur.
This is where most men suffer! When you are aroused enough and are willing to indulge in sexual intercourse with your partner but the soft erections don’t allow for easy penetration. If soft erections are becoming a common occurrence, you should consider getting diagnosed.
Issues of changes
Some men face issues of changes in the angle of their penis with time. There is no visible change when the penis is flaccid, but when there is an erection it indicates a different angle! This makes it tough to indulge in sexual intercourse especially because the erection is lost soon after! If heated up intimate moments, foreplay and manual stimulation aren’t able to bring about arousal in you – it’s a concern to address! This could mean that penile sensitivity is reduced and causes the inability to get an erection.
This is a common cause of impotency. Most men suffering from erectile dysfunction often experience pain in the penis once they get an erection. This pain does not let them indulge in sexual activities. Some diseases like Diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular heart diseases, stress, etc have erectile dysfunction as a common occurrence with them. If you are suffering from any ailment, ED might just be a joint occurrence.
If engaging in sexual intercourse is the last thing in your mind – it implies a sexual disorder. The reasons for this lost desire could be many – erectile dysfunction is one! Medicine for the treatment of one ailment can have side effects on different aspects of your health. If you are undergoing treatment for some disease, chances are the medicines are making you hold your sexual desire and erections.
How to know if you have physical or psychological ED?
About 20% of the erectile dysfunction cases are related to psychological factors. The physical reactions of the body are secondary to psychological reasons. Psychological ED can be understood by examining if one suffers from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, disturbed childhood, sexual abuse, sexual trauma, feelings of guilt in sex, or many other reasons.
The inability to get an erection is often an occurrence when the psychological factors are at play changing the feelings and moods of the person. To understand if you are suffering from psychological ED it is important to seek medical advice and treatment. Listen to your partner’s feedback on your sexual behavior and try to address them with a close consultancy with your doctor.
Diagnosis processes and treatment!
Consulting a doctor and seeking a medical diagnosis is the best way to find out if you have erectile dysfunction. Doctors ask a series of questions related to your underlying condition followed by some physical examination or medicinal tests to identify if you have erectile dysfunction. If it is established that you are suffering from erectile dysfunction, the related cause of its occurrence is studied too.
Most doctors go for oral medications like Viagra and Cialis to promote sexual wellness and help men indulge in satisfying sexual intercourse. Viagra helps men get a firm erection in 30 minutes and promises a satisfactory experience for a good 4-5 hours. Other treatments like mental therapies, lifestyle changes, penile rings, etc are undertaken as per the needs of the individual cases.
The Bottom Line
Erectile Dysfunction is self-examinable. If you aren’t able to get healthy patterns of sexual intercourse in your regular life and getting or keeping an erection is becoming a difficulty – you should seek a doctor! Knowing that you have erectile dysfunction or impotency is the first step towards getting back to your healthy sex life!
