How Can Erectile Dysfunction Be Cured?

What Is Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction is defined as the inability to get or maintain an erection long enough to engage in sexual intercourse¹. This is an issue in approximately 20% of men, and it becomes more common as you get older². This can have a detrimental effect on relationships, and can also start to create issues for your general wellbeing. Often erectile dysfunction may be a symptom of some other underlying health condition.

Common Cures for Erectile Dysfunction

Here are some of the most common methods of dealing with erectile dysfunction. It is important to remember that some of these are permanent solutions, but others are only temporary.

Make Certain Lifestyle Changes

Depending on the cause of your erectile dysfunction, your doctor may recommend making some lifestyle changes before opting for more invasive treatments. Your doctor may encourage you to stop smoking, get fit and lose some weight. These are all risk factors for reduced blood flow, which may be what is causing a reduction in sexual responses³.

It’s also possible that you may be on some form of medication that is interfering with your ability to get and maintain an erection⁴. If this is the case, your doctor will consider switching your medications, to see if that helps your situation.

Therapy

Sometimes, the cause of your erectile dysfunction can be psychological, rather than physical. Treatment may involve going to therapy and learning ways to manage stress or anxiety if they are affecting your sexual performance⁵. It may be beneficial for you to attend these sessions with a partner, so they can learn how to appropriately support you⁶. Therapy sessions may also be used in conjunction with a physical treatment option if your issue is not purely psychological.

Oral Medication

The most common form of oral medication that treats erectile dysfunction is Viagra, but there are a number of others as well. These all serve the same function, to provide a temporary chemical reaction in your body. They release nitric oxide into the body, which is a muscle relaxant⁷. This relaxes the muscles in the penis, which in turn helps to facilitate blood flow, creating an erection.

These pills create a purely physical response in the body, and cannot alter any underlying mental or psychological states that may be contributing to erectile dysfunction⁸.

Vacuum/Pump

75% of men are able to get a functional erection using a vacuum erection device⁹. This treatment method involves a vacuum/pump tube that is placed around the penis. This creates a vacuum, sucking all of the air out of the tube, which also pulls blood into the penis, creating an erection. These devices come with a tension ring that is slipped over the base of the penis, helping to maintain the erection long enough to engage in intercourse, for up to 30 minutes¹⁰.

Penile Injection

Semi-rigid or inflatable implants are surgically placed into either side of the penis. The semi-rigid implants are usually made from silicone and are still bendable, but provide enough strength that they can be used for sexual activity¹¹.

Inflatable implants are controlled with a pump that is also inserted into the scrotum. When you are ready for sexual activity, simply use the pump to increase pressure in the implants, inflating them¹². Men can control the rigidity of their erection and sometimes the size of their erection with this form of treatment. This is the most common form of implant that is used today, and it has a very high satisfaction rate in patients¹³

Treatment Will Vary, Depending on the Cause of Your Erectile Dysfunction

There are a number of different causes of erectile dysfunction, and no treatment option is really designed to fix all of these. In order to find a treatment option that works, you may need to first understand the cause of your erectile dysfunction. Sometimes this may be obvious – it could be the result of surgery near your genitals, which has damaged some nerves. Other times it is less obvious.

Consult your doctor when you begin to experience erectile dysfunction, and they can help you to devise a treatment plan that is right for your condition. It is highly recommended that you do not attempt to self-medicate, as all of the treatment options available have potential side effects¹⁴. These can cause greater damage in the long run if not utilized properly.

What Is Erectile Dysfunction?

Common Cures for Erectile Dysfunction

Make Certain Lifestyle Changes

Therapy

Oral Medication

Vacuum/Pump

Penile Injection

Treatment Will Vary, Depending on the Cause of Your Erectile Dysfunction

Endnotes