Around thirty percent of all men have some form of erectile dysfunction. Yet, many don’t know the symptoms to identify the problem or their treatment options to address it.
There are many symptoms and causes of ED. You must know what they are to ensure you can get the best targeted treatment. Educating yourself is the first step toward securing a more fulfilling sex life.
In this article, we will help you learn how to detect symptoms early, identify the cause, and explore your treatment options.
Keep reading to learn everything you should know about erectile dysfunction symptoms.
What Is Erectile Dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction is when a person cannot get an erection or maintain one long enough to have satisfying intercourse. While this may happen occasionally to some, when this happens often it is a symptom of ED.
Erectile dysfunction is a common sexual disorder, especially in males older than 70. Usually, it is a progressive experience that happens slowly. Luckily, when one sees warning signs, one can start addressing them right away.
Addressing ED might involve treatment, medication, or simply changing one’s behaviors. Several FDA-approved medications and treatments help males overcome erectile dysfunction.
Early Symptoms of Erectile Dysfunction
When getting and maintaining an erection is important to you, you must know the warning signs of erectile dysfunction. This is because you will want it treated sooner rather than later.
There are only a handful of early warning ED symptoms that you have to look out for, and most will be obvious.
Difficulty Getting and Maintaining an Erection
This is the most obvious of erectile dysfunction symptoms. At early stages of ED, one may notice that it takes longer to get an erection than usual. As symptoms progress, it can become impossible to get an erection at all.
Even if you are in the mood for sex, you may not be able to get it up or get it hard enough to participate in intercourse.
Additionally, if one can get an erection, ED will cause it to deflate sooner. This can cause confusing and embarrassing situations during intercourse.
If you find that it is difficult to maintain an erection even during sex, you may have erectile dysfunction.
Reduced Sex Drive
There are many reasons why someone’s sexual drive could lower, yet it is a frequent symptom of erectile dysfunction. It can be caused by both mental and physical erectile dysfunction symptoms.
Negative emotions from the inability to maintain an erection like shame and anxiety can reduce a person’s sex drive. Once this symptom is recognized, it is easier to find and receive treatment for ED.
Loss of Sensitivity
Loss of sensitivity isn’t recognized as much as other erectile dysfunction symptoms. Yet, it is just as important in the diagnosis. Many people with ED notice that getting an erection takes more stimulation than before.
Hormone imbalance, nerves in the penis, or other medical problems can cause this.
What Are the Symptoms of Erectile Dysfunction?
When erectile dysfunction is left untreated or unnoticed, a couple more symptoms could arise. Alternatively, if you have a severe case of erectile dysfunction, you may experience more extreme symptoms others don’t.
Painful Erection
Painful erections are a rare symptom of erectile dysfunction. When this occurs, it is also known as Peyronie’s disease. It causes a bend in the penis from fibrous scar tissue that accounts for painful erections.
No definite cause for Peyronie’s disease has been found yet, but it has been linked to injury and trauma to the penis as well as inherited traits.
Low-Self Esteem
Low self-esteem is a common symptom in people who have untreated erectile dysfunction. When one cannot function properly during intercourse it can lead to shame, depression, and anxiety.
This symptom caused by erectile dysfunction can make it difficult for people with this condition to ask for help. Though ED is quite common for males of all ages, speaking up about this ailment can be difficult.
If you are struggling with erectile dysfunction, many resources can help you learn more about it and help you start treatment.
Causes of Erectile Dysfunction
There are many causes of erectile dysfunction that are both physical and psychological. It is helpful to find out the cause of your ED, so you can receive a treatment that will target the problem directly.
Physical Causes
As we get older, we are more prone to many types of diseases and conditions. These include high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and high cholesterol. Interestingly, all these conditions are also linked to ED.
While treating these conditions may relieve erectile dysfunction, some of the medications can cause it too. The best route for treatment is often to treat both ED and the condition.
Diabetes and erectile dysfunction also go hand in hand. More than one-third of men with type 1 or 2 diabetes have erectile dysfunction as well. This is because Diabetes affects the production of testosterone and hormones.
Other causes not related as much to age can also cause erectile dysfunction. They include the following.
- Alcoholism
- Smoking
- Sleep disorders
- Obesity
- Nerve Disorders
- Spinal cord or brain injury
- Hypogonadism
Some physical causes such as these are avoidable when you have healthy lifestyle habits. You may be advised to change the habits you can before undergoing treatment or starting on medication.
Psychological Causes
Some psychological aspects can contribute to or cause erectile dysfunction. Getting help with your mental health through counseling or medication may be the only way to treat this cause of ED.
Stress is a common cause of ED. When we feel stressed because of personal or professional events in our lives it can affect our ability to have sex. It isn’t unusual for men to experience erectile dysfunction during stressful periods.
Mental health conditions such as depression, PTSD, and anxiety can cause erectile dysfunction. When one is struggling with their emotions, it can be difficult to get and maintain an erection or want to have sex.
Pornography can induce erectile dysfunction in some cases. Frequent viewership of porn may be linked to anxiety in bed that causes ED, low libido, or poor sexual performance.
It is not uncommon for relationship issues to cause erectile dysfunction. If you are going through a rough patch with your partner due to a lack of trust or attraction, you may find sex difficult or unappealing.
The Treatment Options
Often finding treatment for erectile dysfunction is the easiest part. Your doctor will assess your symptoms and the cause of your ED to recommend a treatment that best suits you.
Medication
In many cases, erectile dysfunction is best treated by medication. Today, several tested, safe, and FDA-approved medications successfully treat ED.
You have probably heard of Viagra, yet the following list of medications is just as effective.
- Sildenafil
- Tadalafil
- Vardenafil
- Stendra
Each of these drugs requires a prescription before you can start taking them. You must complete a consultation with your healthcare provider who can give you a prescription if they think you are a good candidate for the drug.
Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy is a relatively new solution to erectile dysfunction. By using a shockwave device, a person can increase blood flow in the penis. The procedure is non-invasive, and it requires little recovery time.
This type of therapy is done by placing the device on different areas of the penis. The administrator moves the shockwave device along as it emits gentle pulses. While the treatment may be uncomfortable it is rarely painful.
The pulses from the shockwave therapy device improve blood flow and even trigger the remodeling of tissue. After a few weeks of treatment, there should be a noticeable difference in one’s ability to get an erection.
Psychological Therapy
When erectile dysfunction is caused by a psychological condition three main treatment options could help.
Counseling is an effective way to treat erectile dysfunction when the cause isn’t physiological. Many mental health disorders like anxiety, PTSD, and depression can change the way you think about sex and cause ED.
Therapy through counseling can help pinpoint the issue and a therapist can help you overcome that problem. Sometimes counseling is used in tandem with medication to help people maintain an erection for intercourse.
Sex therapy is another option similar to counseling. Sex therapy targets your sex problems and helps you move past them. A sex therapist may recommend activities for you and your partner to help with ED.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy can also help someone overcome their erectile dysfunction. Often it’s used for people who have anxiety before or during sex. By using mindfulness training, one can find their anxiety and stop it.
Get Help With Erectile Dysfunction Symptoms
Erectile dysfunction can be an awful condition to live with. Not being able to get and maintain an erection can lead to problems in one’s relationships, mental health, and quality of life.
When you need help addressing erectile dysfunction symptoms, you have an array of treatment options. Fluent’s shockwave therapy devices make it easy to treat ED for the long run without medication. We want to help you feel confident in the bedroom for longer. Contact us today to learn more about our products for erectile dysfunction.
