Erectile dysfunction
What is erectile dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction is a medical condition characterized by inability to initiate or maintain an erection. It is commonly caused by psychological factors in young healthy men but may be due to underlying conditions such as obesity, hypogonadism, diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, or spinal problems in older adults.
Erectile dysfunction is an exceedingly common condition, especially in elderly males. Individuals may have preserved sexual desire but cannot sexually perform to their partner’s satisfaction – this may lead to self-consciousness and reduced confidence. First-line medications are often helpful in alleviating symptoms but occasionally more invasive strategies are employed
Others may benefit from the use of vacuum-assisted devices such as “penis pumps.” Patients that have refractory symptoms despite these measures may be candidates for surgical implantation of penile prosthesis.
Summary:
• Erectile dysfunction is a medical condition characterized by inability to initiate or maintain an erection.
• It is commonly caused by psychological factors in young healthy men but may be due to underlying conditions such as obesity, hypogonadism, diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, or spinal problems in older adults.
• It can also be caused by alcohol use or certain medications such as benzodiazepines (eg, Valium), antihypertensives (eg, beta blockers, thiazide diuretics), and antidepressants (eg, SSRIs and tricyclic agents).
• The diagnosis of erectile dysfunction is suggested based on symptoms. Physical examination and laboratory testing are often performed to determine the cause of symptoms.
• Your doctor will usually order testosterone levels – these are typically obtained first thing in the morning.
• Other commonly ordered blood tests include a CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel), CBC (complete blood cell count), and thyroid function (TSH, free T4). They may also check your fasting cholesterol levels and screen you for
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common ailments that affect aging men. Statistics show that more than half of the entire male population aged 65 have some form of BPH, while about 90 percent of men aged 85 have the condition. Every year, in the United States alone, about a quarter of a million surgeries are performed to correct BPH. As they name implies, BPH is a non-malignant growth of the prostate, the gland that secretes semen, the fluid that transports sperm. Although not harmful, BPH can bring about symptoms that could largely affect the quality of life of its sufferers.
First, it is important to distinguish the difference between sexuality and sensuality. When some people think of sexuality, the brain automatically thinks orgasms and penetration. But, when we think about sensuality, all of the senses become engaged. Touch, taste, smell, and feel can all become a form of foreplay. When you take foreplay or sensuality out of the equation, “couples have no way of intimately connecting unless they have sex” (Markman et al., 2010, p.272). This can introduce pressure to the sexual relationship which will also allow room for anxiety. “Numerous studies suggest that anxiety is the key inhibiting factor to arousal” (Markman et al., 2010, p. 277). There are two types of anxiety - performance anxiety and conflict. When a person is focusing soley on his or her performance, Markman et al., (2010) suggests that it puts “emotional distance between you and your partner. This kind of detachment can lead to the most common sexual problems that people experience” (p. 277). A few of these problems are difficulty having an orgasm, lack of erection or arousal, and pre-ejaculation. Conflict is the other source for anxiety. When a couple is arguing all the time and having trouble getting along, the desire for intimacy is lost. “It is important that you agree to keep problems and disagreements off-limits when you are being sensual or making love” (Markman et al., 2010, p. 278). If your partner has a complete lack of interest in sex, it can be a side effect of a hidden issue. It can be a stressful time at work, he or she could be depressed, drinking, or suffering from another type of illness that affect one’s sex drive. Try to figure out if it is health related, and if it is not, then look more at the
... the past and is effective in approximately 25-35% of patients with erectile dysfunction (Murdock, 2002).
...(CBC), Activated Partial Thrombo Plastin Time (APTT) Test, Prothombin Time (PT) Test, and Fibrinogen Test”.
Sildenafil is a pharmaceutical breakthrough not only because it is the most effective treatment for erectile dysfunction available, but also because it is "the first in a new class of medications" (FDA, par. 3). But to understand how this drug works, it is necessary to explain the physiology of erection in the normally functioning male. Under normal circumstances, sexual excitement results in the release of nitric oxide. Next, the nitric oxide will activate guanylate cyclase, ...
Testicular cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the male’s testicles first then spreads to other parts of the body. It most commonly spreads to the lymph nodes after it spreads throughout the testicles. Testicles are part of the male’s reproductive system that makes testosterone, the male hormone, and sperm. It is treatable and can usually be cured. The signs of testicular cancer are lumps, swelling, and pain in your testicles. You can check for these lumps yourself, but it is better and more important to check with your doctor for lumps annually. Testicular cancer isn’t caused by much, but there are some risks.
Online. The. Internet. The Internet. The Internet. Available: http://www.cei.net/impotence/deth.html.
Treatment of Sexual Addiction." HealthyPlace.com - Trusted Mental Health Information and Support. HealthyPlace, 25 Sept. 2009. Web.
Not everyone will have or even show signs of prostate cancer. Many of the cases are first detected during a doctor’s check-up. However, some men will experience urinary or sexual dysfunctions that may indicate the presence of prostate c...
A vast amount of men and women suffer from some type of sexual dysfunction. Researchers have identified a number of factors that may contribute to or perpetuate sexual dysfunction, including, but not limited to, performance anxiety. Performance anxiety is defined as an obsession about the adequate pleasing of one’s partner during the act of sexual intercourse. Rather than focusing on the pleasurable benefits that one can receive from intercourse, the individual experiencing performance anxiety is focused on how well he or she is performing (McCabe, 2005). Oftentimes, someone who suffers from a sexual dysfunction experiences increased performance anxiety because he or she feels that the dysfunction inhibits performance, thus they think the sex is not satisfactory for their partner.
...uch a key impact, it is important that when an issue does arise to take action. All of the sexual dysfunctions can be treated by going through sex therapy. This is where they can talk out their issues that could be causing the sexual dysfunctions and also it can give them ideas and tips to use to enhance the sexual relationship. (Nevid & Ruthus, 2005).
Many times this is the unspoken complaint of couples entering relationship therapy. First I rule out any physical or biological medical problems. Given this, it is recommended to make an appointment with your general medical doctor, or get a referral from your sex therapist, a board certified sexologist. Your therapist will recommend that the medical doctor run a
Health psychology is a relatively new concept rapidly growing and could be defined as the biological and psychological influences affect ones behaviour also bringing in social influences of health and illness (MacDonald, 2013). Biological determinants consider genetic and biological factors of an illness whereas psychological determinants focus on the psychological factors such as why people behave the way they do when dealing with issues such as anxiety and stress. Models such as the Health Belief Model and Locus of Control were developed in attempt to try and explain psychological issues around a chronic illness such as breast cancer (Ogden, 2012). Sociological factors can cause an enormous amount of pressure for one to behave in a certain way for example gender roles in society and religious considerations when dealing with health beliefs. Health Beliefs can be defined as one’s own perception to their own personal health and illness and health behaviours (Ogden, 2012). There are also theories and models used to explain pain and coping with diagnosis such as Moos and Schaefer (1984) Crisis theory and Shontz (1975) cycle of grief people go through when being diagnosed with a serious illness.
Ascending genital sensory input also plays an important role in central processing and initiation of erection and sexual arousal. Areas which receive afferents from the penis include the caudal thalamic intralaminar nuclei (Heath, 1964), which is the terminal point for this pathway, and the medullary reticular formation (Hubscher & Johnson, 1996), hypothalamus (Wersinger et al., 1993), and periaqueductal gray (Steer, 2000) along the way.
Mental health refers to the state of individuals psychologically, emotionally and socially. Mental health affects a person’s emotions, feelings, thoughts, and sections when exposed to different situations. Furthermore, mental health is responsible for a person’s reaction to stress and other social conditions. Generally, mental health affects how a person relates to others and their ability to understand and interact with them. Therefore, problems that affect a person’s mental health affect the abilities to socialize, their feelings, moods, reaction to situations. The person experiencing mental health problem may portray different behaviors when confronted with different issues. Mental health issues have several