In honor of Men’s Health Week several doctors are talking about a hot topic, erection problems. While the condition is now widely known about, some men still stray away from the doctor’s office. Studies show as many as one in two men will experience this condition at some point in their lives, which is why doctors are urging men to talk about any sexual issues with health experts.
A warning sign
Michael Eisenberg, MD, director of the Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery program at Stanford’s Department of Urology says erection issues are sometimes a warning sign for the conditions.
“Large epidemiologic studies estimate that dysfunction affects probably about 50 percent of all men in this country between age 40 and 70,” he said. “In the past, it was thought that most of this dysfunction was psychological. We now know that probably 85 to 90 percent is due to an organic cause that we can identify. The predominant causes are cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and obesity-and those conditions have increased in recent years.”
Eisenberg went on to say, “All men should know that it is often a precursor to other medical problems. It can actually precede cardiovascular disease by three to four years. So even if they do consider themselves otherwise healthy, this may be a warning sign to take their health a little bit more seriously, to make sure they see their primary doctor on a regular basis.”
Prevention methods
Eisenberg says preventing loss of erections is all about taking care of one’s health. “I always tell men, in order to increase stronger erections, you should live a healthy life. Anything that’s good for your heart is going to be good for your penis,” he said. “So, a good diet and exercise will all benefit. If they have other risk factors that are modifiable, such as smoking, they should definitely cut that out. Weight control also is very, very important. If you do have a problem, I always do encourage a patient’s partner to be involved in treatment as well, because it’s a team sport, and I think having a very interested and active partner that’s willing to help goes a long, long way.”
