Andropause and Erectile Dysfunction

One of the signature symptoms of Andropause is erectile dysfunction (ED). An embarrassing, nerve-wrecking experience, ED is when a male cannot perform for his female partner. Find out what you can do.

One of the signature symptoms of Andropause is erectile dysfunction (ED). An embarrassing, nerve-wrecking experience, ED is when a male cannot perform for his female partner. In layman’s terms, it is the inability to have an erect penis during sexual activity.

It is the primary issue amongst men in regards to their sex lives. Let’s become acquainted with how a full erection works and why this condition exists. Men under the influence of Andropause have erectile dysfunction no matter what’s on their mind. Thinking of a nude Playboy centerfold model would likely induce pleasant and sexual thoughts into a man.

Sexual thoughts, however detailed or brief they may be, are produced in the brain. After all, the brain is responsible for thinking. These sexual thoughts directly spark nerve signals down through the spinal cord and into the muscles of the penis. These nerves send a flow of blood running through the arteries in the penis while it is in a relaxed state, building pressure.

A man without Andropause can have a constant, steady flow of blood flowing to his penis arteries in a good amount. The more blood that flows down there, the harder and longer your erection will be! When sexual thoughts creep out of your mind and you’re focused on another activity, your penis returns to its relaxed state. We can guess Andropause sufferers are going to have to do something else rather than think about that nude Playboy model to obtain an erection!

Erectile dysfunction can attribute to psychological causes. Psychological causes can include having fear of our female partners (especially when it is a specific person with whom we feel shy with), depression, lack of self esteem, and cluelessness as to what to do with certain parts of the female anatomy. Our bodies are exposed ¨to the air¨ and we often times feel ashamed of what we look like to our partners. Mind thoughts and emotions that are pessimistic in nature not only affect your mental state, but the performance of your penis as well.

As with other medical conditions, the effects of impotence can be magnified if we do not follow a proper health regimen. The top dog in promoting erectile dysfunction is the use of drugs, particularly the cancer sticks you find over the counter – we all know which one that is. Cigarettes reduce the amount of blood flow to the penis. Undergoing surgery and prescription drugs also contribute to the problem, like tranquilizers, medications for seizures, beta blockers, and diuretics. Even a simple over the counter drug like NyQuil Cold & Sinus (a decongestant) can reduce blood flow to the penis, at least temporarily.

We’ve probably all seen those commercials before. You know, the one with Rafael Palmeiro (major league baseball player in his late 30′s) promoting the use of a special pill known throughout the globe as Viagra. Viagra is a staple of American culture – the subject of endless tonight show monologue jokes and a popular conversation topic anywhere. At a cursory glance, Viagra may seem like a sideshow attraction, but its been proven to be one of the most effective drugs you can take for erectile dysfunction.

Using Viagra requires a doctors prescription, but it is so readily available you can get away without one. Before considering going on this pill, maintain a healthy lifestyle and build up those testosterone levels naturally. Make a visit to your doctor to discuss a proper dosage and see if Viagra is right for you. Remember, there are many erectile dysfunction pills out there – the goal is to see which best suits your condition. Don’t fret over this condition – with the plethora of solutions and medications combating this problem, you’ll be sure to be fine in no time.

Peyronie’s disease and abnormally bent penis – causes, symptoms and treatment options

By Peyronie’s disease the penis is abnormally bent or twisted because of fibroid tissue development. Here are causes, symptoms and treatment options explained.

WHAT IS PEYRONIE’S DISEASE?

Peyronie’s disease consists of hard, fibrous tissue, called plaques, developing within the penile shaft. The plaques are hard, thickened and stiff areas, actually a kind of internal scarring. In this fibroid tissue also calcium compounds can accumulate, making the plaques even harder.

The Peyronie’s disease is also called cavernositis, and also sometimes plastic induration. There is probably a chronic inflammation process that leads to this scarring.

The thickened area has less blood flow than normal penile tissue, and do not fill with blood and swell as the normal spongy areas in the inside of the penis. Therefore the penis swells more at the opposite side, and gets a curvature towards the side containing the plaques when erected.

If the plaques are found at several places, more complex deformations will develop. The abnormal bending, twisting or swelling within the penis, often also lead to painful erections.

Any man from the age of 18 and upwards can develop Peyronie’s disease. The average age of men suffering from Peyronie`s disease is 50.

THE SYMPTOMS AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE CONDITION

The three main characteristics of cavernositis are:

- One or more small hard lumps underneath the skin, or a continuous hard, stiff and thickened area.

- Abnormal bent or crooked penis when erect. All penises have some curvature, but by this disease, the penile bend increases, and one may get a very curved penis. The penis may be bent as a banana or in an angular fashion. The penile bending is most often up, but may be down, to the left side, to right or sloping.

-The bending is usually to the same side as that of the hard thickened area when the penis is erected.

-The hard areas in the erected penis may look like bumps, making the penis irregular.

- Sometimes the penis bends greatly enough to make sexual intercourse difficult, or impossible.

- Pain during erections caused by the pressure from the hard areas in the penis, or from the stretched skin at the opposite side of the penis.

- One may not notice the bend immediately, as it tends to develop over one to three months and later than the hardness and stiffness of the indurations.

- The plastic induration may progress and cause impotence. Sometimes the Peyroni’s disease will clear up by itself, but this may take several years.

THE CAUSES OF PEYRONIE’S DISEASE

The exact cause of the induration is unknown. It’s not a sign of an underlying serious condition, and it is not a sexually transmitted infection. It is possible that the disease can begin with an inflammation in the penile tissue. An inflammation may be caused by an allergic or auto-immune reaction. Although the Peyronie’s disease is not an infection, an initial infection can damage the penile tissue and cause an inflammation that develops into Peyronie’s disease. Men having the inflammatory condition called Systemic Lupus Erytematosus more often get Peyronie’s disease.

Vitamin E deficiency seems to be a contributing factor in causing the disease. Diabetes may cause damage of blood vessels, and if this damage occurs in the erectile bodies of the penis, Peyronie’s disease can develop. Peyronie’s disease is sometimes a side effect of the drug Inderal (propanolol) used against high blood pressure.

Sometimes a physical injury to the penis that causes internal bleeding, or a series of such injuries, is the initial cause. A habit of violent sexual activity may cause such injuries. It is thought that some men may have a genetic disposition to the condition.

Plastic induration of the penis is not a cancer, and cannot cause cancer, however a lump or deformation in your genitals that develops, must be examined.

TREATMENT OF PEYRONIE’S DISEASE

Not all men with Payronie’s disease require treatment. The disease sometimes go away by itself. If the condition is pronounced, it is also difficult to find a remedy that can cure every sign of the disease, but several methods can take away most penis changes associated with Peyronie’s. Here is a survey of treatment methods used today.

Tamoxifen - In its early stages of the disease a medication called Tamoxifen has been shown to prevent the formation of the fibrous plaque by Peyronie’s disease. This drug is also used in the treatment of breast cancer, but the two conditions are not related.

Vitamin E and B - Vitamin E and B is sometimes effective in easing the pain and as a treatment for the penile deformity by Peyronie’s disease.

Verapamil - Verapamil, often used in the treatment of high blood pressure, has been shown to decrease the size of the plaque and decrease the pain when injected directly into the plaque, and thus also improve the penis shape distortion by peyronie’s disease.

Shock wave therapy – Extracorporeal shock wave therapy, or ESWT, a new treatment, is being used in some hospitals for the Peyronie’s disease. Although the initial results of this new approach to treat Peyronie’s disease have been promising, the long-term outcome is still undetermined.

Surgery – This is sometimes considered if Payroni’s disease has lasted for a year or more and it hasn’t progressed or regressed for at least three months. By the Nesbitt procedure one removes tissue opposite to the curve to straighten the penis. Another procedure involves putting a graft or part of a vein within the fibrous plaque to lengthen this area. In certain cases of Pyrenees disease, surgical insertion of a penile prosthesis (implant) is recommended.

Radiation therapy – This treatment modality has been tried, but the results are unpredictable and sometimes the opposite of the intended one.

Traction devices – On the market, you can buy mechanical devices to use on the penis some time daily that gently pull upon the penile tissue to straighten out the penis, and thus mending the penis from the curvature caused by Peyronie’s disease.