Increasingly, doctors are coming to the conclusion that erectile dysfunction is not simply a problem of the reproductive organs. There are many factors that play into a man’s ability to get an erection, which may include metabolic, cardiovascular and hormonal health.

Jeffrey Albaugh, a Portland, Oregon-based gastroenterologist, recently said that doctors should be checking for issues in all of these areas of health in patients who seek treatment for erectile dysfunction, according to Urology Today.

Due to the fact that many doctors treat the symptom of erectile dysfunction as a cause, they only offer short-term solutions that don’t address the root of the problem. More comprehensive testing may allow medical professionals to pinpoint the underlying cause of sexual performance problems.

He added that once the ultimate source of erectile dysfunction is diagnosed, doctors may be able to recommend appropriate treatments, which he said may include constant resistant rings, according to the news source.

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease are thought to be two of the leading causes of erectile dysfunction, according the National Institutes of Health.

Many men with occasional sexual performance problems simply brush off these troubles. However, this can cause many cases of erectile dysfunction to go undiagnosed. In fact, a recent study found that large numbers of men with moderate to severe ED are unaware of their condition.

A team of researchers from Columbia University gave medical examinations to more than 1,000 men who were known to have common risk factors for ED, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, lower urinary tract symptoms, obesity and other conditions, but had never been diagnosed with ED.

The study found that 71 percent of participants had symptoms of erectile dysfunction. Additionally, 54 percent had symptoms that qualified as moderate to severe.

Researchers wrote in their report that doctors should be more aware of the probability their patients with certain risk factors have ED, and address the situation with them.

“Although awareness of having erectile dysfunction was low, most men with risk factors had scores indicating erectile dysfunction,” they wrote. “Erectile dysfunction should be suspected and assessed in men with risk factors, regardless of their apparent level of awareness of erectile dysfunction.”

Men are significantly less likely than women to seek professional help for medical conditions, particularly when they involve private matters. Most prefer to wait the condition out to see if it will go away on its own rather than visiting a doctor. However, in the case of erectile dysfunction, this may simply prolong the problem.

Dr. Arun Ghosh, who practices at Spire Liverpool Hospital, told the Telegraph that the situation is frustrating, because the earlier men seek treatment for sexual performance problems, the better their chances will be of receiving effective treatment.

“They will ignore serious symptoms for years until forced to confront them,” Ghosh told the news source. “Men usually dismiss it when it first happens: they easily put it down to alcohol or feeling tired. But over time, they lose confidence and stop trying. If they have been married for a few years, the sex life is probably on the back burner, anyway.”

However, he added that doctors may be able to recommend many treatment strategies that are tailored to an individual’s specific needs.

One option that medical professionals may recommend is constant resistant rings. These can help men get an erection without forcing them to take medications, which may come with side effects.

Worldwide obesity rates are climbing at dramatic rates. Now, a new report suggests that this may be having a major impact on male sexual function, as the number of men who experience erectile dysfunction and infertility is quickly growing.

The report, which was authored by University of Copenhagen researchers, cites some chilling statistics. More than 10 percent of couples worldwide are infertile. Additionally, one in five men between the ages of 18 and 25 has poor quality semen. Furthermore, the number of men with low testosterone and erectile dysfunction is growing.

Researchers said that the dramatic increase in male sexual function problems in the last several decades indicates that environmental factors are most likely to blame, rather than genetic causes.

“We need a common strategy to target research so we can address the poor state of men’s reproductive health,” said Niels Skakkebaek, lead author of the report. “That this decrease in male reproductive health has occurred in just a few decades suggests it’s caused by environmental and lifestyle factors rather than genetics. So it is preventable if we correctly identify the causes.”
He speculated that the growing obesity rate may be one of the main contributors to the problem.

Erectile dysfunction drugs have come as a major boon for many men with sexual performance problems. In some cases, they offer a quick fix to a problem that may have taken some men out of the game. However, these medications are not without a certain degree of risk.

Most people are now familiar with one of the most serious side effects of these medications thanks to TV advertisements, which warn men to call their doctor if they experience an erection lasting more than four hours. If this occurs, it can cause serious damage to tissue in the area and hamper male sexual function.

Dr. Kenneth Peters, chairman of the urology department at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, told the Detroit Free Press that the effect of a four-hour erection is similar to what would be experienced in any part of the body that is deprived of oxygenated blood.

“So if you have an erection that lasts too long, there’s no new oxygen going to the penis, so what can happen is that you can actually develop tissue injury because of lack of blood flow, just as you would if you cut off the flow of fresh blood to the arm or the heart,” he told the news source.