Why men get erectile dysfunction?

Signs of Erectile Dysfunction

The average doctor’s visit lasts 19 minutes. And in that time—with someone you see about once a year—you’re expected to disclose personal details about your privates? We know it can be embarrassing. But it could save your sex life (or your life, period). Here are three below-the-belt concerns that every man must discuss with his doc.

Low Testosterone
About 1 in 4 men have low testosterone, according to the journal Endocrine Care. That can make you feel fatigued, keep you from building muscle, and dampen your sex drive, says Robert Saltman, M.D., endocrinologist at the Washington University School of Medicine. If you have these symptoms, some simple blood work can test your T-levels.

Men typically begin to experience a gradual drop in their testosterone levels as they age, says Saltman. But don't be so quick to blame Father Time: Poor lifestyle factors—such as weight gain, smoking, or too much booze—negatively impact your T-levels more than aging, says research from the University of Adelaide.

Lucky for you, logging more shuteye can naturally boost testosterone. Research in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that men who decreased their sleep from eight hours per night to five saw a 15 percent drop in testosterone levels. Other natural boosters include weight training, consuming whey protein, competition, and having sex.

Erectile Dysfunction
If you think you might have erectile dysfunction, you probably do. When more than 1, 000 men were asked if they had erectile dysfunction (ED), nine out of 10 of who claimed they were “unsure” had some level of it, found a study published in BMC Urology.

The signs? Difficulty getting hard and frequently losing stiffness after becoming erect, says J. Stephen Jones, M.D., a urologist from the Cleveland Clinic.

Stress, smoking, poor diet, depression, being overweight, and a sedentary lifestyle can increase your chances of developing ED. “But poor cardiovascular health is arguably the number one reason men get ED, ” says Mark Moyad, M.D., of the University of Michigan Medical Center.

Springer Vascular Andrology: Erectile Dysfunction, Priapism and Varicocele
Book (Springer)

Getting it up and keeping it up?

by omnigirl