SHARES
“Having erectile dysfunction is a huge challenge. It leaves me and my partner feeling discouraged. But, I am too shy to talk about it openly. How do I get my sex life back on track?”
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to get and maintain erection long enough for satisfying sexual activity. There are many causes of ED, and one of the common cause is diabetes. 50% of diabetic men will develop ED within 5-10 years of diagnosis.
How Does Diabetes Cause Erectile Dysfunction?
In order to obtain erection, you need to have healthy blood vessel, nerves, male hormones, and sexual desire. Poorly controlled blood sugar in diabetes damages the blood vessels and nerves. When the nerves responsible for sexual stimulation is affected, it becomes hard for maintaining erection during sexual intercourse. Also, damaged blood vessels reduce blood flow and prevent erection.
Other Causes
There are many risk factors in diabetic men that can contribute to ED. These include being overweight, a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and too much alcohol intake. Likewise, smoking, stress and depressed mood also relates to erectile dysfunction. Besides, certain medication can have ED as side effect. Make sure to check with your doctor on your medication. Apart from these, poorly controlled high blood pressure is almost as bad as diabetes.
Diagnosing Erectile Dysfunction
If you find any problems with erection, seek help from your urologist. They will review your symptoms and medical history. They will also perform physical examination to assess the genitals and nerve reflexes in legs and penis. Investigations like blood test urine test, hormones test might be carried out to diagnose diabetes and ED.
Lifestyle Changes
There are lifestyle modifications that can help you better control of your diabetes. This helps lower your risk for erectile dysfunction.
1. Healthy Diet
Eating a healthy diet can control your blood sugar level. As a result, we can prevent damage to our blood vessels and nerves. Consume a diet that is low in saturated fat and high in fibre.
2. Exercise Regularly
There are many health benefits of exercise such as better blood sugar control, improve blood circulation, reduce stress, and lose weight. All these can help reduce our risk for ED.
3. Stop Smoking
Smoking worsen the condition of ED by decreasing the levels of nitric oxide which is responsible for blood flow into the penis.
4. Cut Down Alcohol Intake
Drink in moderation. This is because excessive intake of alcohol can result in ED. Also, getting drunk makes it hard to get an erection.
5. Reduce Stress
ED can cause stress and tension in a relationship. As such, it interferes with sexual arousal and worsen ED. Talk to your therapist and get help. Besides, try exercising, meditation and make sure to get enough sleep.
Photo by Cindy winter exercise from Flickr
Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction
There are many available treatment for erectile dysfunction. Talk to your doctor and they will work together with you to find the treatment that best suits you.
1. Oral Medications
If you are diagnosed with ED, your doctor may recommend you taking oral medications for ED first. For instance, sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra), or tadalafil (Cialis). These medications help to improve blood flow to your penis and maintain erection.
2. Penile Injection Therapy
If oral medications do not work in your favour, your doctor may offer penile injection therapy. This involves injection of alprostadil (Caverject) directly into the penis before sexual intercourse to increase the blood supply to penis.
3. Vacuum Pump Therapy
Vacuum pump or a penis pump, is a hollow tube that is put over your penis and connected to a pump. The pump is used to draw blood to your penis to obtain erection. A band is placed at the base of the penis to maintain the erection after the tube is removed.
4. Penile Implant
When medications or a penis pump do not work, penile implant may be the option of choice. This is a major surgery that implants an inflatable rod into the penis to make it erect for intercourse.
5. Psychological Support
Psychotherapy plays an important role in dealing with ED. ED can be caused or worsened by psychological conditions, such as anxiety and depression. Talk to a psychologist to get help coping with ED.
Photo by Ariel Irving from Flickr
Conclusion
Erectile dysfunction is a common condition in diabetic men. It is not something to be shameful about. Help is always available. It may not be easy to bring up the issue. But, reluctance can prevent you from getting help and negatively impact your relationship with your intimate partner.
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References
1. Roland J, Santos-Longhurst A. Type 2 diabetes and erectile dysfunction(ED): is there a connection [Internet]? Healthline Media. 2016. (Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/type-2-and-erectile-dysfunction#research; last accessed on 2020 May 23)
2. Cowley G. Does diabetes cause erectile dysfunction [Internet]. Healthline Media. 2017. (Available from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317012; last updated on 2017 Apr 19; last accessed on 2020 May 23)
by Chang Xian
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