Loss of erection function might happen suddenly, or it may progress gradually over time. An occasional difficulty isn’t always cause for alarm, as many factors could be to blame. But where an occasional problem evolves into something more, it’s wise to find out why.
For many years, some health professionals regarded erection difficulties as a problem, but not a serious one. Some viewed it as a normal part of aging. Some understood and even sympathized. But Harvard Heath suggests that erections should be considered a health marker. When something is wrong, there’s reason to investigate why.
An Australian study published in January 2013 included 95,038 men over the age of 45, selected at random. Of these men, 2.2% between the ages of 45 and 54, 6.8% between 55 and 64, 20.2% between 65 and 74, 50% between 75 and 84, and 75.4% 85 years of age and older experienced severe difficulties with erections.
Nearly 8,000 of the men who participated in this study were admitted to a hospital with cardiovascular disease, and over 2,000 of them died as a result. The results show that the more severe the erection difficulty, the more likely heart disease is to be a factor.
If you experience difficulties with erections, your overall health could be at risk.
Loss of Erections isn’t a Normal Part of Aging
One of the biggest myths about aging is that men may naturally have weaker erections over time. This simply isn’t true. The loss of the ability to achieve or maintain an erection is more common in older men, but that isn’t because of age. Other factors are likely to blame.
Many health conditions, including heart disease, can be cumulative and the result of a lifetime of bad habits. Smoking, eating an unhealthy diet, and not exercising eventually catches up with most people.
Heart disease can also have genetic roots. If your father or others in your family have experienced heart disease, and especially if it manifested early in life or in spite of an otherwise healthy lifestyle, you may have the same susceptibility.
Blood vessel blockages are common with heart disease. Thick, waxy plaque builds up inside the vessels, which inhibits blood’s ability to pass through freely. When poor health habits are to blame, blockages might not appear in youth, but later. If genetics is involved, blockages might appear sooner.
Blockages aren’t confined to certain parts of the body. The vessels that supply the penis are as likely to experience plaque buildup as any others. When the penis doesn’t get an adequate supply of blood, erection problems can occur.
Erections as an Early Warning Sign of a Bigger Problem
Problems achieving and maintaining an erection aren’t the easiest things to talk about. For many men, the onset of erection issues means one thing, and one thing only — it’s time to try something to help. Erection medications such as Levitra, Cialis, and Staxyn do work, but they should be used judiciously.
Unfortunately, medicating the problem might resolve it, which can lead to overlooking a more serious one. If heart disease is the cause of erection issues, medications can improve erectile function. Heart disease can continue, and worsen, unnoticed. For some men, this early warning sign is easy to ignore, especially when the only tangible signal is easily corrected.
If you experience erection difficulties, no matter your age, be aware that there’s a lot more to consider than whether your testosterone has taken a dive. In fact, testosterone is not responsible for a healthy erection. It’s part of the whole package, since this hormone affects libido, but it’s not directly connected to the physical process of achieving an erection.
Some of the vessels supplying the penis are small, which means they might be the earliest ones to be affected by plaque buildup. Heart disease may have few other symptoms, so you owe it to yourself to take erection difficulties seriously.
When to Call Your Doctor
A loss or decrease in erectile function isn’t necessarily cause for immediate alarm, but you should make an appointment to talk with your doctor. Because heart disease can be a factor for many men, the sooner you find out, the better. Heart disease can lead to a heart attack.
Doctors Bryan G. Schwartz and Robert A. Kloner explain that erection difficulties can occur 3 to 5 years before a heart attack. Early detection means there’s more time to treat the disease.
A heart attack can happen with little advance warning. The Mayo Clinic mentions a “silent heart attack,” which is as scary as it sounds. The symptoms many associate with heart attack, such as chest pain or shortness of breath, don’t happen to everyone who experiences this life-threatening event.
More commonly, there are symptoms that alert you to a heart attack. Nausea, indigestion, tightness in the chest, dizziness or anxiety may appear. It might be dramatic, or subtle. It could happen as easily at rest as during physical exertion.
Your doctor might examine you, ask you a number of health and lifestyle questions, and perform tests to detect or rule out heart disease. Mayo Clinic goes on to explain that a heart attack happens when the heart doesn’t receive blood from a coronary artery. This can happen when there is a blockage in one or more arteries.
A coronary artery blockage may not appear in the early stages of heart disease. But the smaller vessels supplying the penis might collect enough buildup to inhibit healthy erections. When erection issues are chronic, or happen frequently, it pays to talk with your doctor to find out why.
Incorporating Better Habits
Heart disease isn’t always a permanent condition, at least not for every person. Doctor Oz offers steps toward reversing it, which could not just make you healthier, but could also improve erection health.
Where food is a problem, he suggests cutting out the culprits. Your doctor will recommend a heart-healthy diet, which may include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and a reduction in fatty meats.
Another step, he explains, is exercising arterial walls to reduce inflammation. That sounds like a trick, but it’s just a way of describing good old fashioned cardio. Don’t overdo it. If your doctor recommends regular but gentle exercise, that’s what you should do.
It’s important to always follow your doctor’s advice over anyone else’s. Only he knows your health history, and can recommend the safest and most effective plan for managing, perhaps reversing, heart disease.
Erection health medications may be included as part of your therapy, whether heart disease is at fault or not. There are several that are proven to work, even in the presence of heart disease. But you have heard the commercials — ask your doctor to learn whether your heart is healthy enough for sex. Now you know why that’s so important. And if you take nitrates, your doctor might not advise erection medications. There is good reason, as your blood pressure could drop dangerously low.
Problems achieving and maintaining an erection have many potential causes. Some of them are serious, such as heart disease, or even diabetes. Some of them are not life-threatening, and may include issues such as back pain or nerve damage.
For many of the causes, erection medications can help with the symptom. They help facilitate an erection, and can make a healthy sex life possible again.
If you experience erection difficulties, take the first step and call your doctor. The conversation might not be an easy one, but it could be one of the most important you ever have.
If your doctor recommends an erection medication, eDrugstore.com is your source. We sell Levitra, Cialis, Staxyn, Stendra, and Viagra, all of which are scientifically proven to work. We offer the privacy and convenience of online ordering, and your discreetly-packed shipment arrives right at your door. If you’re ready to improve your health, see what eDrugstore.com has to offer.
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