- What is a sexual dysfunction in men?
- What is the most common dysfunction in men?
- How does sexual dysfunction affect men?
- Symptoms of sexual dysfunction in men
- What causes sexual dysfunction?
- Risk factors
- When to see a doctor
- How is sexual dysfunction diagnosed?
- Treatment
- Can you prevent male sexual dysfunction?
- Conclusion
- Source
Sexual dysfunction is a common problem in both men and women.
Studies show that more than 40% of women and 30% of men live with it.
However, that is just an average indicator. It is vital to understand that most men and women start experiencing sexual dysfunction as they grow older.
Sexual dysfunction is quite a varied problem. For some, it is due to psychological reasons and thus causes disinterest in sex, and for others, it is due to hormonal issues.
Its prevalence is also increasing due to the increasing incidence of chronic ailments like cardiovascular disorders, mental health issues, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, metabolic disorders, and much more.
Sexual dysfunction may not sound worrisome, at least in the beginning. Unfortunately, however, it increases the risk of various mental and physical health conditions.
Not only that, but what is worrisome is that very few men seek medical attention for the condition or actively try to manage the disease.
Thus, just take an example of the study that shows that prolonged sexual dysfunction in men causes low self-esteem and worsens mental and physical health. This shows the need to seek treatment for even mild sexual dysfunction or erectile dysfunction.
Before we dwell in debt on the topic, it is vital to know that sexual dysfunction is not solely due to hormonal deficiency, unlike common belief. If hormones were responsible for sexual dysfunction, the treatment would have been pretty simple: hormone replacement therapy.
However, experience shows that hormone replacement therapy helps only in a small number of cases, which is not adequate. Even drugs acting on blood vessels have a more significant role in managing the condition.
However, using hormones or medications is rarely an option as they fail to help with the underlying cause. Thus, men experiencing sexual dysfunction should take the conditions seriously and use non-pharmacological means to manage the condition, including lifestyle interventions and natural health supplements.
What is a sexual dysfunction in men?
Before trying to manage any health condition, it is vital to understand it. It is crucial not to confuse sexual dysfunction with erectile dysfunction in men.
Sexual dysfunction is a much broader disorder, and erectile dysfunction is just one of its sub-types or signs. This is why medications like Viagra may help with erectile dysfunction, providing temporary relief, but they do not help with sexual dysfunction.
Sexual dysfunction encompasses a range of disorders like low sexual desire, poor sexual performance, premature ejaculation, difficulty with arousal, unsatisfactory orgasm, or even not getting sufficient pleasure from sex.
Sexual dysfunction, if left untreated, causes significant suffering. It results in worsening of mental and physical health.
Some experts have even defined the “hardness factor” as a measure of male well-being. It means that if some men cannot have good sex or have poor erection quality, it may indicate poor physical and mental health.
Some studies suggest that sexual dysfunction is among the first signs of many physical ailments. Thus, it may indicate poor blood flow, high blood pressure, vascular disease, cardiovascular disease, low testosterone, and much more.
This means that sexual medicine is not just about improving sexual performance. One should see sexual activity as an indicator of broader well-being.
What is the most common dysfunction in men?
As already mentioned, sexual dysfunction is not about low testosterone, nor is it merely about failing to get a hard erection. These are just the most discussed topics, but there are many reasons and types of sexual dysfunction.
Below are some of the most types of sexual dysfunction in men:
Erectile dysfunction
This is one of the better-known forms of sexual dysfunction. However, men are often reluctant to seek treatment for the condition, and it is often described in different words.
Nonetheless, there has been a lot of focus in recent years on managing the condition through supplements and medications, and with great success. Poor erectile function occurs due to many reasons, from vascular disease to low testosterone, causing low sexual function.
Lack of sexual desire
This is even more common than severe erectile dysfunction. A lack of sexual desire is relatively common among both sexes.
Low sexual desire means poor sexual health. It is quite challenging to manage, and there is no medication that can help treat the condition effectively.
Arousal disorder
Many individuals would like to have sex; however, they often feel unable to be physically aroused or excited during sexual activity. Again, there is no known pharmacological pill that can help the condition.
Orgasm issues
This could be an inability to gain orgasm in females. In men, it could be either premature ejaculation or failure to ejaculate. Both the conditions result in unsatisfactory sex.
Pain disorders
This is a less common disorder among men. Nonetheless, some may experience pain or unpleasant sensation while having sex.
As you can see, there are many types of sexual dysfunction, and each requires a different treatment approach. However, what is worrisome is that most modern treatments are helpless in managing these conditions. Pharmacological drugs may only temporarily help in a few of these conditions, like erectile dysfunction, but cannot provide prolonged relief in these disorders.
This means that most people should focus on lifestyle interventions, managing chronic underlying disorders, and using non-pharmacological means to overcome these issues.
How does sexual dysfunction affect men?
Male sexual dysfunction affects men in many ways like lower confidence, self-esteem, higher anxiety, and falling physical health.
Sexually active men are more likely to be physically active and thus not suffer from other chronic ailments.
It is vital to understand the link between various physical and mental illnesses and sexual health here. Both these conditions are interrelated. However, sexual health and erectile dysfunction are often treated separately, and thus most medical treatments fail.
What is even worse is that medications used to treat common disorders like diabetes, high blood pressure, blood flow problems, and cardiovascular diseases may lead to sexual dysfunction. It means that men living with sexual dysfunction often face a difficult choice.
Clinical endocrinology can generally identify the link between these issues and poor sexual health and thus help boost sexual activity and well-being.
Symptoms of sexual dysfunction in men
We have already discussed some of the major symptoms of sexual dysfunction. However, it generally starts with falling hormone levels, stress, chronic disorders like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or high blood pressure.
Consequently, sexual activity falls, and vascular diseases become worse which causes a gradual decline in libido or sexual desire and poor quality erection. Unfortunately, however, most people fail to seek treatment for these conditions, and things worsen.
Some may experience other problems like premature ejaculation, delayed ejaculation, low testosterone, lack of sexual stimulation, and much more.
It finally results in very poor sexual health and may even affect a relationship with a partner.
Most of these issues have a severe toll on men’s mental health. Some men may even begin abusing alcohol or other substances and not seek medical attention, and thus condition keeps getting worse.
However, one can manage these conditions by seeking treatment and using over-the-counter remedies and health supplements. Therefore, medical education also plays a vital role in addressing these conditions.
What causes sexual dysfunction?
As already mentioned, that sexual dysfunction is secondary to chronic disorders leading to low t, blood vessel problems, blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and other similar issues.
It is vital to understand that the underlying causes of sexual dysfunction are many. Unfortunately, that is the reason medications often fail to help.
Get Your FREE Low Testosterone Diet Plan
- The ultimate testosterone boosting diet
- combined with exercise & lifestyle advice
- Developed exclusively by our nutritionist
Risk factors
Sexual dysfunction is mainly secondary to wrong lifestyle choices or chronic disorders. Thus, those abusing alcohol or other substances are at a greater risk of erection problems and sexual problems.
People living with diseases of a blood vessel, endothelial dysfunction, high blood pressure, problems with blood flow, vascular diseases, urinary problems, prostate issues, and low testosterone are all at an increased risk of developing the condition.
When to see a doctor
Generally, it is good to see a doctor as early as possible. Remember that any disease is more challenging to treat in its later stages.
Thus, consult a doctor if you have a weak erection or low satisfaction from sexual intercourse. Do not wait for things to become more serious when you start experiencing severe erectile dysfunction or having more severe issues in attaining orgasm.
How is sexual dysfunction diagnosed?
Fortunately, sexual dysfunction is pretty simple to diagnose. Doctors would be able to diagnose the condition based on the patient’s history.
However, doctors may order more specific tests to understand the severity of the condition. Thus, they may like to know if a person is living with low testosterone or not, evaluate vascular disease, order different blood tests to see the level of inflammation or exclude other health conditions.
Additionally, doctors need to evaluate the mental health of those living with sexual dysfunction, as psychological factors cannot be neglected.
Doctors may also classify the severity of erectile dysfunction, which is present in most men living with sexual health issues.
Treatment
As already mentioned, sexual health is a function of physical well-being. It means that sexual dysfunction often occurs secondary to other chronic ailments. This means that one should have a broader approach to managing sexual dysfunction.
Medications like Viagra or Tadalafil cannot cure or treat the condition, and they only provide temporary relief for erectile dysfunction.
Therefore, any treatment of sexual dysfunction should include and start with lifestyle interventions. For example, one should start exercising, reduce body weight, manage blood pressure, reduce stress, and take dietary measures. It is also good to give up alcohol consumption and smoking.
One should pay equal attention to mental well-being, and thus start practicing mindfulness, yoga, and, if needed, go through psychotherapy for various mental health issues.
Finally, the basis of all sexual dysfunction treatments should be prolonged therapy with natural herbs with a broad spectrum of action. These herbs are not just good for increasing testosterone or endothelial function but also lower inflammation and help manage chronic disorders. Moreover, natural remedies help improve sexual desire.
Thus, one may consider vitamin D, red ginseng, Tribulus Terrestris, hormone balancing herbs (tiger nut, astragalus), amino acids like L-carnitine, L-arginine (to boost endothelial function), and many more.
One may also use herbs to boost prostate and urinary tract health along with mental well-being to help reduce sexual dysfunction.
Can you prevent male sexual dysfunction?
Preventing sexual dysfunction and improving sexual activity is the best strategy. Prevention must include lifestyle interventions along with the use of natural supplements. It is especially vital considering that there is no satisfactory pharmacological treatment for the condition.
Therefore, any efforts must include regular exercise, managing diabetes, lowering blood pressure, improving vascular flow, and treating vascular disease.
It is a good idea to use herbals to boost testosterone levels and thus improve the feeling of well-being.
Conclusion
Unlike the more commonly discussed condition, which is erectile dysfunction, sexual dysfunction is a much broader disorder that affects almost every man some time in their life.
Sexual dysfunction encompasses nearly everything related to sex, from desire, inability to initiate, arousal failure, poor erection, premature ejaculation to lack of orgasm, and much more.
It is a condition that occurs due to many reasons like psychological reasons, stress, anxiety, depression, chronic physical ailments, low testosterone, aging, and much more. Unfortunately, it also means that no single treatment approach works in the condition.
Therefore, to manage the condition, one needs a multidimensional approach, including medications, lifestyle interventions, the use of supplements, natural remedies, and much more.
Since the condition tends to be chronic and medications fail to help in many cases, natural remedies have a special place in managing sexual dysfunction.
Explore More
