According to the observations of doctors and scientists involved in men’s health, absolutely every man at least once in sexual life has experienced erectile dysfunction (ED), in other words–impotence. It includes not only weak blood flow in the genitals, but also the rate of ejaculation or failure to achieve ejaculation.
According to WHO statistics, 10% of patients are over 21 years old, and those overcoming the age threshold of 60 years account for 1/3 of the total male population. The absence of the expected effect of the excitation can be due to various reasons, the root of which can only be determined by a specialist.
When Should Not You Postpone a Visit to the Doctor?
Not everyone suffering from impaired potency immediately seeks help from a doctor. 90% of primary cases remain at the level of a rare effect, i.e. do not repeat again. This kind of reaction, or rather lack thereof, is caused by temporary factors.
These include:
- overexcitation, nervous tension, stress, fear and emotions
- excessive amounts of alcohol in the blood
- nutrition features, the introduction of unusual foods into the diet
- infectious disease in the past
- taking medications with the corresponding side effect
If ED occurs systematically–an average of 3-4 cases in a row, and the situation is not resolved by taking into account the above reasons, then you should visit an andrologist. Before making an appointment with a doctor, it is necessary to analyze the whole spectrum of lifestyle changes–new diagnoses, exciting events, the introduction of an enhanced sports regimen and the psychology of relations with a partner.
Mandatory prerequisites for seeing a specialist are progressive chronic diseases:
- hypertension, obesity, atherosclerosis
- diabetes mellitus and diabetic neuropathy
- previous stroke or heart attack
Hormonal malfunction, vascular deformities and severe consequences of heart attacks are not a contraindication to intimacy with a woman. A specialized doctor knows ED treatment regimens for such health complications.
How to Tell the Doctor About Your Problem Properly?
Absolutely every doctor considers shyness and reserved demeanor the main barrier to solving the problem. Indeed, some men prefer to live without sex at all, rather than these a doctor and put all chips on the table. Understanding the necessity of telling intimate details to another man, and even worse to a woman, prevents an ED sufferer from visiting a healthcare professional.
It is worth accepting the fact that you do not need to distress yourself by upcoming conversation or plan your speech. A competent doctor has a list of necessary questions.
If there is still a psychological barrier, a following short list should be prepared:
- When did the first failure happen?
- Have you experienced this before? How was the problem resolved? What do you connect that situation with?
- How often do you experience potency after waking up in the morning? Are there any changes in this process?
- Frequency of sexual intercourse and number of partners.
- What diseases do you suffer from? Medications taken on a regular basis and new drugs.
Before contacting a doctor, you must mentally answer these questions. A simple but very sensitive question about the onset of an erection during masturbation may be added to them. Urologists and andrologists themselves recommend first of all to realize that the goal of solving a delicate problem should be above the internal fear of a doctor.
First Time Result
After a diagnostic survey, the doctor will make a preliminary conclusion about the possible causes of dysfunction.
There are 3 types:
– psychogenic,
– physiological,
– mixed.
Depending on the set of symptoms, the specialist will draw up an examination plan to clarify the true nature of ED occurrence.
Almost all patients of the initial appointment, in addition to a general blood test, are prescribed the following:
- ultrasound examination of the prostate–to identify the inflammatory process
- hormone analysis–to determine the level of testosterone and other androgens
- Doppler ultrasonography of the penis vessels–to study blood flow latency
You should not expect an effective drug to be prescribed without undergoing laboratory tests. Initially, the doctor can give recommendations on nutrition, sleep and rest. The patient receives the drug treatment program only after the test results.
This is not to say that you need to go to the medical center after a sole ED case. Seeing a doctor is required in case of systematic erectile dysfunction and the absence of visible causes such as constant stress and general fatigue. In addition, erectile dysfunction can be one of the symptoms of more serious diseases.
