What can a doctor do about having trouble getting an ED?
Urologists treat conditions like erectile dysfunction (ED) that affect the urinary system and male reproductive organs. They can do tests to figure out what’s wrong and offer ways to treat it.
BMJ Journals says that ED is one of the most common health problems for men in their 40s and 50s. This newsletter goes into more depth about what urologists can do for ED, how to find a urologist, and the treatments a urologist may also recommend.
How can urologists help people with ED?
Urologists can also do a number of tests to find out if someone has ED.
Urologists address conditions that affect the urinary tract and the male reproductive system, including erectile dysfunction (ED). A doctor can tell you if you have ED and find out what’s causing it. They think about this:
Taking medical records: Urologists will look at a person’s medical records in detail to find out how ED affects them and if they have any other health problems. They may also ask about sexual activities, like erections, ejaculation, or sexual desire, to get a better idea of the troubles a person is having.
Performing a physical exam: A urologist will check a person’s blood pressure and heartbeat as part of a physical exam to look for signs of an underlying infection. They may even look at the scrotum and testicles to see how they look and how sensitive they are to touch. They can also check to see if the prostate has grown.
Blood and urine tests: If needed, a urologist may also order tests to check blood sugar, cholesterol, hormone levels, and how well the liver, kidneys, or thyroid are working.
Injection check: During this check, a doctor injects an erection-causing drug into the base of the penis. If an erection doesn’t happen, it could mean that there is a problem with blood flow.
Penile Doppler ultrasound: For this test, a doctor injects medicine into the penis that causes an erection. Then, they use ultrasound to see how well blood runs through the penis’s arteries and veins, both inside and outside.
The results of these tests will help the doctor figure out what might be causing the person’s ED and recommend the best way to treat it.
Where to look for a doctor
In the United States, a doctor can send a patient to a urologist after a first visit. Some health insurance companies also need a recommendation from a doctor, so talking to them is a good place to start.
People can use the American Board of Urology’s online search tool to find board-certified urologists in their city or state.
How to Talk to an Urologist
Some people might also find it difficult to talk to a doctor about ED. But being as honest as possible will help a urologist figure out how best to treat the problem.
How well patients and doctors communicate may also have an impact on treatment. A look at everything Trusted Source found found that men who told a medical worker about the side effects of their ED treatments were much less likely to stop taking them.
During a visit, you might want to ask a urologist the following:
What is going to hurt my ED?
What tests do I need to take?
Could making changes to your lifestyle, like your diet or exercise, help?
Could ED be a side effect of the medicines I take?
If I treat other health problems or change my medicine, will ED go away?
What kinds of treatments are there, and do they have any side effects?
Are there any symptoms or signs I should look out for?
How long until I can see results?
Doctors usually tell people to bring their partner to visits and talk openly about ED with them while they are being treated.
Different ways to treat
ED can be treated in a number of different ways. A doctor will tell you what to do to fix the problem based on what is causing it.
Treatments for problems at the root
A number of health and lifestyle factors, such as:
Diabetes type 2 is caused by high blood pressure.
kidney disease with more than one syndrome
problems with weight, tension, or sadness
Sleep apnea and other sleep problems are linked to smoking.
low testosterone, or hypogonadism
Changes in lifestyle, such as:
consuming less booze
Stop people from smoking or using drugs for fun.
Reach or keep a small weight by starting regular exercise, if possible.
Medications
PDE5 inhibitors are one of the most common medicines used to treat ED. These medicines help people get or keep an erection by bringing more blood to the penis. They consist of:
Sildenafil (Viagra and Cenforce)
Tadalafil (Cialis and Adcirca)
Vardenafil (Levitra and Staxyn)
Avanafil (Stendra)
PDE5 inhibitors can be taken hours before sexual activity by people with ED. ED can also be treated with pills, like Cenforce 100, Fildena 100, or Vidalista 20. If PDE5 inhibitors taken orally no longer work, urologists advise trying these.
PDE5 inhibitors are offered, at their simplest, via a prescription from a medical doctor. Most over-the-counter (OTC) supplements that claim to help erectile dysfunction (ED) haven’t been tested and may be dangerous.
In 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that some “natural” ED treatments contained pills that weren’t on the list.
Scientists are also looking into different ways to treat ED. In the future, it may be possible for a person to:
Stem cell therapy, which can help someone grow new blood vessels; low-intensity shockwave therapy, which may make people more receptive to ED treatment; gene therapy, which can treat the genetic causes of ED;
But right now, these treatments are still in the “improvement” area.
