Does ED Signal Impending Heart Problems?

Man exercising outside gripping chest with one hand

Erectile dysfunction is a ubiquitous part of aging and is closely related, in most patients, to the efficiency of the blood flow to the penis. Just as with other parts of the body, the penis has arteries that supply it with oxygenated blood. Differently from most other structures in the body, the penis retains some of that blood to create an erection. If this blood does not or cannot reach the penis, an erection may be soft or not last long enough for proper sexual contact.

While blood flow issues are the most common cause of erectile dysfunction, there are other considerations, including the fact that some patients have psychogenic causes of their ED. This means that they have essentially psyched themselves out of sex either due to prior poor performance or other psychological concerns.

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How Curved Does Your Penis Have to Be for Peyronie’s Treatment?

Man sitting crossed-legged while looking at tablet

When a man first sees that his penis is curved, it can be a very concerning, even panic-inducing situation. Peyronie’s disease is caused by plaque buildup on the penile structures, leading to curvature in any direction. Eventually, this curvature can begin to be problematic: it can be mild or serious enough to interfere with proper sex and even cause significant pain with an erection.

When the penile curvature is relatively mild, patients are often hesitant to go to their urologist or men’s health specialist because they’re unsure if the degree of curvature requires medical or surgical care. However, looking only at the curvature does not paint the whole picture, and patients who have Peyronie’s disease should change how they think about the condition. Most importantly, it’s not so much about the degree to which the penis is curved but rather whether the curvature is interfering with life in some way or another.

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P-Shots – What Are They, and Do They Work?

doctor filling injection

P-shots or Priapus shots, aptly named after the Greek god of fertility, have become popular in recent years as some in the medical community turn their minds toward biohacking or improving the function of the body. From online resources to doctors and men’s health clinics, P-shots are being advertised as a way to get many benefits from platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, specifically as it relates to the penis. Let’s see what the most common claims are.

  • P-shots can improve erectile function.
  • P-shots can increase the girth and or length of the penis.
  • P-shots can improve the health of the penis.

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Penile Implant – A Fix for Peyronie’s and Erectile Dysfunction?

Man sitting and smiling on park bench

Of the most common and debilitating male sexual function concerns that Dr. Engel treats, erectile dysfunction, and Peyronie’s disease are at the top of the list, both in incidence and in the desire for the patient to have them treated. When discussing these two conditions with patients, they are often seen as having separate and distinct treatment protocols. To some degree, this is true if they occur individually. However, Peyronie’s disease and ED often co-occur. One may cause the other, or they may both be present independently.

In this article, we will discuss when a penile implant may be appropriate to treat both conditions, giving patients a one-stop option for handling two significant concerns.

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Should I Worry About Priapism With My ED Treatment?

Priapism is a greatly misunderstood concern. Many people call priapism the four-hour erection and think that it is alternately a good thing – a sign of masculinity or amusing; however, the exact opposite is true. Yes, we all want strong, prolonged, lasting erections, but when they begin to damage penile tissue, often permanently, we need to stop them in their tracks. In this article, we discuss the primary non-surgical ED treatments, whether they could cause priapism, and what to do about it.

Before we continue, however, it must be said that priapism is very rare, and while you should know about it, you don’t necessarily need to actively worry about it. Remember, a satisfying sex life is also psychological, and you do not need any impediments to that. You should also know that several medications can cause priapism, and as such, you should speak to your urologist to understand more about possible causes.

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Are Injections for ED Extreme?

Older couple watching sunset on the beach

Erectile dysfunction, or ED, is a problem as old as humanity and remains virtually inevitable as we age. No matter how healthy we are, the heart and blood vessels, especially those arteries feeding oxygen to the penis, eventually lose their ability to transmit blood to the body as effectively as before. The best analogy involves our capacity to exercise as we age. No matter how in shape we are for our age, our bodies lose some ability with time. As it relates to erectile function, this aging process leads to weaker erections over time and, eventually, the inability to enjoy one’s sex life.

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Supplementing Nitric Oxide – A Natural Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction?

Man holding nitric oxide supplements in both hands

As we age, there is an inevitable decline in the ability to achieve an erection. This is simply because erectile function depends on blood flow to the penis, and as a man ages, the circulatory system becomes less efficient. This is also why we can’t perform in sports or endurance in our later years the same way we did in our teens, 20s, or 30s.

Dr. Engel Seminar PromoWith that said, some men begin to lose their erectile function earlier, and we see patients as young as 30 or 40 who have concerns about their ability to achieve and maintain an erection during sex. At this point, there is a continuum of care that almost every ED patient will follow. This begins with an evaluation of the root cause of the problem, and the answer may include any combination of psychological therapy (for a small number of patients), lifestyle change, and ED medications like Sildenafil and Tadalafil. If these options fail, we move on to injection therapy or a penile implant for severe cases of ED.

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Rezum: What to Expect

Man on doctor table talking to doctor with clipboard

REZUM therapy is a minimally invasive, in-office, and non-surgical procedure to shrink an enlarged prostate due to benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH. Heat generated by radiofrequency waves is delivered to the prostate through a needle that emits water droplets that generate steam. This allows for a rapid treatment that has the ability to expand but will not go beyond the anatomical boundary of the prostate itself.

The REZUM starts with a transrectal ultrasound which will be used to take a picture of the prostate, determine its dimensions, and inject lidocaine as local anesthesia. This is a very well-tolerated step akin to numbing before a dental procedure and is very quick. The patient will then be repositioned with legs in stirrups and the REZUM can commence.

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Can I Take ED Meds Forever?

Man pouring ED Pills into hand

Erectile dysfunction most often has a slow progression, where patients initially have occasional trouble achieving or maintaining an erection, followed by subsequent difficulty finishing. Eventually, the condition becomes troublesome enough that without intervention, a satisfying, sex life is not possible. Of course, once the patient first realizes they have a problem, the psychological effects are often as problematic as the physical ones.

Dr. Engel Seminar PromoWhile the prospect of taking medication to achieve an erection can be dispiriting, patients need to know that they are not alone. Around 50% of all men over 60 have trouble attaining or maintaining their erection, and those that opt for medical therapy as a front-line attack on the condition can often regain a satisfying sex life immediately. Further, with generics like sildenafil and tadalafil on the market, the cost of this improvement in sexual function is minimal when compared to when these drugs were on-patent (Viagra and Cialis).

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Comparing Tadalafil (Generic Cialis) and Sildenafil (Generic Viagra)

Man choosing between generic medications for erectile dysfunction

When patients come to us looking for relief from their erectile dysfunction, they are faced with a preliminary decision of which medication, tadalafil or sildenafil, is better. Back in the day, when these medications were still on patent AND named Cialis and Viagra, respectively, they were very costly. These were the days of fighting with and often losing to insurance companies. Now that generics are available, so many more people can take advantage of these great, highly effective drugs. We often suggest that patients taking ED medications for the first time try both separately to see which works best for them with the fewest side effects. Ultimately, with prices as low as they are, there’s little financial risk in seeing which is best for our patient’s unique circumstances.

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Urologic Surgeons of Washington is a proud member of Privia Medical Group. The best doctors in our community have joined together to form Privia Medical Group (PMG), a multi-specialty, high-performance medical group that puts patients first. Our physicians are united by the mission of providing better, more coordinated care for their patients.

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