How long does erectile dysfunction last

Diagnosing ED starts with your health care provider asking questions about your heart and vascular health and your erection problem. Your provider may also give you a physical exam, order lab tests or refer you to a Urologist.

Your doctor will ask you questions about your health history and lifestyle. It is of great value to share facts about drugs you take, or if you smoke or how much alcohol you drink. Knowing about your history of ED will help your health provider learn if your problems are because of your desire for sex, erection function, ejaculation, or orgasm climax.

Some of these questions may seem private or even embarrassing. However, be assured that your doctor is a professional and your honest answers will help find the cause and best treatment for you. Your health care provider may ask you questions about depression or anxiety.

He or she may ask about problems in your relationship with a partner. Some health care providers may also ask if they may talk to your sex partner. A physical exam checks your total health. Examination focusing on your genitals penis and testicles is often done to check for ED.

Based on your age and risk factors, the exam may also focus on your heart and blood system: heart, peripheral pulses and blood pressure. Based on your age and family history your doctor may do a rectal exam to check the prostate.

These tests are not painful. Most patients do not need a lot of testing before starting treatment. Your health care provider may order blood tests and collect a urine sample to look for health problems that cause ED. Questionnaires are often used by health experts to rate your ability to initiate and keep erections, gauge your satisfaction with sex and help identify any problems with orgasm.

For some men with ED, specialized testing may be needed to guide treatment or re-assess you after a treatment fails.

The treatment for ED starts with taking care of your heart and vascular health. You may be asked to change certain food habits, stop smoking, increase workouts or stop using drugs or alcohol. You may be offered alternatives to the drugs you take. Never stop or change prescription drugs without first talking to your health care provider.

Your health care provider may also suggest treating emotional problems. These could stem from relationship conflicts, life's stressors, depression or anxiety from past problems with ED performance anxiety. The treatments below are available to treat ED directly.

Non-invasive treatments are often tried first. Most of the best-known treatments for ED work well and are safe. Still, it helps to ask your health care provider about side effects that could result from each option:. Drugs known as PDE type-5 inhibitors increase penile blood flow.

These are the only oral agents approved in the U. For best results, men with ED take these pills about an hour or two before having sex. The drugs require normal nerve function to the penis. PDE5 inhibitors improve on normal erectile responses helping blood flow into the penis. Use these drugs as directed. About 7 out of 10 men do well and have better erections. Response rates are lower for Diabetics and cancer patients.

Always speak with your health care provider before using a PDE5 inhibitor to learn how it might affect your health. Most often, the side effects of PDE5 inhibitors are mild and often last just a short time. The most common side effects are:. In most cases, the side effects are linked to PDE5 inhibitor effects on other tissues in the body, meaning they are working to increase blood flow to your penis and at the same time impacting other vascular tissues in your body.

In those rare cases where a low sex drive and low blood levels of Testosterone are at fault for ED, Testosterone Therapy may fix normal erections or help when combined with ED drugs PDE type 5 inhibitors. A vacuum erection device is a plastic tube that slips over the penis, making a seal with the skin of the body. A pump at the other end of the tube makes a low-pressure vacuum around the erectile tissue, which results in an erection.

An elastic ring is then slipped onto the base of the penis. This holds the blood in the penis and keeps it hard for up to 30 minutes. With proper training, 75 out of men can get a working erection using a vacuum erection device. If oral drugs don't work, the drug Alprostadil is approved for use in men with ED. This drug comes in two forms, based on how it is to be used: intracavernosal injection called "ICI" or through the urethra called "IU therapy".

Alprostadil is injected into the side of penis with a very fine needle. It's of great value to have the first shot in the doctor's office before doing this on your own.

Self-injection lessons should be given in your doctor's office by an experienced professional. This combination therapy called "bimix or trimix" is stronger than alprostadil alone and has become standard treatment for ED. The amount of each drug used can be changed based on the severity of your ED, by an experienced health professional. You will be trained by your health professional on how to inject, how much to inject and how to safely raise the drug's dosage if necessary.

ICI therapy often produces a reliable erection, which comes down after minutes or with climax. Since the ICI erection is not regulated by your penile nerves, you should not be surprised if the erection lasts after orgasm. The most common side effect of ICI therapy is a prolonged erection. Men who have penile erections lasting longer than two to four hours should seek Emergency Room care.

Priapism is a prolonged erection, lasting longer than four hours. It is very painful. Failure to undo priapism will lead to permanent penile damage and untreatable ED.

For IU therapy, a tiny medicated pellet of the drug, Alprostadil, is placed in the urethra the tube that carries urine out of your body. Using the drug this way means you don't have to give yourself a shot, unfortunately it may not work as well as ICI.

The most common side effects of IU alprostadil are a burning feeling in the penis. If an erection lasts for over four hours, it will need medical attention to make it go down. The main surgical treatment of ED involves insertion of a penile implant also called penile prostheses. Because penile vascular surgery is not recommended for aging males who have failed oral PDE5 inhibitors, ICI or IU therapies, implants are the next step for these patients.

Although placement of a penile implant is a surgery which carries risks, they have the highest rates of success and satisfaction among ED treatment options. Penile implants are devices that are placed fully inside your body. They make a stiff penis that lets you have normal sex. This is an excellent choice to improve uninterupted intimacy and makes relations more spontaneous.

The simplest kind of implant is made from two easy-to-bend rods that are most often made of silicone. These silicone rods give the man's penis the firmness needed for sexual penetration. The implant can be bent downward for peeing or upward for sex.

With an inflatable implant , fluid-filled cylinders are placed lengthwise in the penis. Find a sexual health clinic near you. The doctor or nurse will ask about your lifestyle and relationships, and any problems you might be having. They'll carry out basic health checks, such as taking your blood pressure. They'll also examine your genitals to rule out any obvious physical cause. If you have symptoms like needing to pee more often, you may also need to have an examination of your prostate.

Treatments for erectile dysfunction are usually effective and the problem often goes away. There are also specific treatments for some of the causes of erectile dysfunction. Medicine such as sildenafil sold as Viagra is also often used by doctors to treat erectile dysfunction.

It's also available from pharmacies. Because of changes in regulations, you no longer need a prescription to get sildenafil. But you'll have to have a consultation with the pharmacist to make sure it's safe for you to take it. There are other similar medicines called tadalafil Cialis , vardenafil Levitra and avanafil Spedra that work in a similar way.

You can buy sildenafil Viagra over the internet. Be very careful if you do this as many websites sell fake medicines. Online medicines are not always regulated and the ingredients in them can vary from one pack to another. Human Papillomavirus HPV. Kegel Exercises for Your Pelvic Muscles. Table of Contents. What is erectile dysfunction? Symptoms of erectile dysfunction. The primary symptom of ED is not being able to get or keep an erection for sex.

What causes erectile dysfunction? Erectile dysfunction can be caused by: Diabetes high blood sugar. Hypertension high blood pressure. Atherosclerosis hardening of the arteries. Stress, anxiety, or depression. Alcohol and tobacco use. Some prescription medicines. This includes antidepressants, pain medicine, and high blood pressure medicine.

Brain or spinal cord injuries. Hypogonadism a condition that leads to low levels of the male hormone, testosterone. Multiple sclerosis. Radiation therapy to the testicles. Some types of prostate or bladder surgery. Certain feelings can lead to erectile dysfunction, including: Feeling nervous about sex. This could be because of a bad experience or a previous episode of ED. Feeling stressed, including work and family stress. Feeling depressed.

Feeling self-conscious about your body or performance. Thinking your partner is reacting negatively toward you. How is erectile dysfunction diagnosed? Can erectile dysfunction be prevented or avoided?

There are some things you can do that may help prevent ED, including: Avoid drinking too much alcohol, smoking, or abusing drugs. Ask your doctor if ED is a side effect of a new or current medicine you are taking. He or she may have an alternative medicine. Control your blood sugar and blood pressure. Try to relax and avoid stress.

Erectile dysfunction treatment. The side effects of ED medicine are mostly the same. Sildenafil and vardenafil can cause: Headache.