Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common sexual complaint among men. Some studies indicate that as many as one in five men experience ED. There are several known erectile dysfunction causes, and ED may be something that has always been a problem, or a relatively new experience in your life. What treatment you choose will likely relate to what, if any, causes have been discovered. For many men there won't be a cure for erectile dysfunction, but for most there are several effective erectile dysfunction treatments available. Erectile dysfunction can also be an opportunity to rethink and recreate a sex life that doesn't focus solely on erections.
Before Using Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction
As your spam filter will tell you, companies are all too keen to market drugs for treatment of erectile dysfunction whether they are safe or legal or effective. Erectile dysfunction is a known early warning sign for other potentially serious health problems. It may be your body's way of telling you that something else is going on. Which is why before considering any treatment for ED you should consult with a doctor. To understand the options that are available to you, read on for the various treatments already available for ED.
Prescription drugs are by far the best known treatment erectile dysfunction, thanks mostly to the financial success of oral medications that can be taken prior to wanting an erection. While the mechanisms of the drugs work differently, they all function by facilitating greater blood flow to the penis, which in some men will produce an erection that can be maintained.
There is only one type of external device that has been clinically tested to treat erectile dysfunction. Known as a vacuum pump, vacuum device, and sometimes vacuum constriction device, it works by drawing blood into the penis, creating an erection. Another line of products -- which have never been clinically tested, and shouldn't be considered an actual treatment for erectile dysfunction, but which may be useful for some men -- are sex toys, also called "marital aids" or "sexual pleasure devices."
The term penile rehabilitation may include any of the treatments listed on this page. But in addition to these treatments, there have been case studies that have indicated that when erectile dysfunction is the result of prostatectomy, pelvic floor rehabilitation may be a treatment for erectile dysfunction.
Erectile dysfunction surgery involves inserting implants into the penis which can provide rigidity to allow for intercourse. The surgery is by far the most invasive treatment for erectile dysfunction, and is often considered an option after other treatments have been tried and ruled out.
Sex therapy may be an effective treatment for erectile dysfunction, depending on the cause, but regardless of the cause, it is often recommended as part of erectile dysfunction treatment. Even when there is a physical cause, usually once a man experiences erectile dysfunction, there are some emotional and psychological issues that can exacerbate the ED, and working through them with a sex therapist can be helpful.
While few of them have been extensively tested as treatments for erectile dysfunction, there are many natural remedies that have been recommended for hundreds of years as being beneficial to erectile functioning. Even though, like sex toys, these remedies aren't acknowledged by western medicine as treatment, they may be helpful and worth exploring with a knowledgeable health care practitioner.
