Situational erectile dysfunction is generally short term in nature. It’s an inability to get and keep an erection that is caused by temporary factors and is unlikely to persist unless the offending behaviors become routine.
The National Institutes of Health estimates that up to 30 million men in the United States suffer from some degree of erectile dysfunction.
For most of us, ED is considered to be a long-term disorder, which requires medication to treat its symptoms.
Situational ED is considered short-term. Like long-term ED, short-term ED is the inability to get or maintain an erection with the difference being only in certain situations.
Diagnosing Situational ED
A doctor can usually come up with a diagnosis for situational ED by reviewing physical problems and history.
It’s imperative to give your doctor an honest history of events to properly diagnose the severity of your ED.
Aging is natural and along with that comes decreased sexual activity. Just because you are not having as much sex now as when you were younger does not necessarily mean you have situational ED.
Situational ED’s Causes
Factors that can lead to situational ED include:
- alcohol and drugs
- fatigue
- nicotine
- relationship troubles
- stress
Most of these causes are lifestyle choices. Excessive consumption of alcohol and nicotine can cause situational ED, but used in moderation they generally doesn’t.
Stress can lead to performance anxiety. Performance anxiety can lead to stress and so the cycle continues. It’s difficult not to be stressed after not being able to achieve the 21-gun salute, but the less you stress over it the more likely you’ll be back in the saddle again.
Treating Situational ED
Doctors generally will not treat situational ED with medications such as Viagra or Cialis, oral ED drugs that are the treatment of choice for long-term ED.
Avoiding or reducing some of the causative behaviors listed above can lead to better sexual health. Limiting alcohol to two drinks a day and quitting smoking altogether will go a long way.
Talking to your partner openly and honestly about the situation will lead eventually to achieving better erections. While difficult at first, intimacy can relieve performance anxiety.
Putting your chips on the table and talking through what’s causing your situational ED will help relieve stress and have you looking forward to your next sexual experience, not worrying about what may or may not happen.
If this information has been helpful to you and you would like to stay abreast of the latest news and information from the consumer health front, follow eDrugstore’s blog.
We specialize in providing our over 1,000,000 customers with relevant product and condition information created by our professional editorial staff which includes our team of medical writers, medical practitioners, and health educators. eDrugStore.com Staff on Facebook