How to Manage Painful Erections
Painful erections are usually more than a mild inconvenience. Learn what to do once it happens, including how the right treatment can help.
In the flush of youth, you could barely go a second without thinking about sex. Now, sometimes it’s hours. Or days. Or even years.
Low libido is not an inevitable consequence of aging. Nor is it the inevitable consequence of a long-term relationship. Most of all, it’s nothing that you have to learn to live with, no matter what your age or circumstance. Low libido can be raised.
Mike Hsieh, MD, our expert urologist and men’s health specialist, wants you to have energy and excitement in your life again. That’s why we offer low libido and sexual dysfunction evaluations, workups, and treatment at our offices in La Jolla, California.
Your low libido consult includes a comprehensive physical exam, medical and personal history, lab tests, and sometimes cardiovascular tests, too. We look at everything from your general health, your mood, and your levels of important hormones.
Depending on his findings, Dr. Hsieh,may recommend one or more of the following treatments to restore your healthy libido.
When you carry too much fat in proportion to muscle and bone, you increase your risk for life-threatening diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, excess fat has another, unexpected side effect: It raises your levels of the hormone estrogen.
Estrogen (E) is sometimes thought of as a “female” hormone because women have it in abundance during their fertile years. Men have E, too, just as women have the “male” hormone testosterone (T). Of course, men ideally have more T than E.
Fatty tissue, though, encourages your body to produce more E than is normal for a healthy man, which then throws off the balance of your T. Without sufficient T, and with too much E, you can’t build or maintain your muscle mass. Muscle mass revs up your metabolism and helps you burn excess fat.
To put the brakes on this vicious cycle, we may recommend that you make losing weight and adding healthier foods and exercise into your life a priority. If we identify an underlying health condition, such as diabetes, then dietary and activity improvements will help manage or resolve that, too, while you simultaneously boost your libido.
We also make sure that any underlying conditions — including diabetes and heart disease — are managed and treated. If you need help with your weight, we may refer you to a medically supervised weight-loss program.
If you were ever sexually, emotionally, or physically abused, your body may not feel safe enough to respond in an intimate situation. As part of your evaluation, Dr. Hsieh asks you questions about your current and past feelings and experiences with sex and trauma.
If Dr. Hsieh believes you’d benefit, he refers you to a counselor who helps you find healthy ways to deal with past memories and current challenges. He may also recommend lifestyle changes that help you handle stress better, such as deep breathing, meditation, and regular exercise.
If your blood pressure is low, or if you have poor blood flow to your pelvis and penis, you may experience erectile dysfunction (ED) as well as low libido. As a urologist, Dr. Hsieh makes sure that your genitourinary tract is normal and free of obstructions.
If you have any physical problems, Dr. Hsieh may recommend anything from medications to surgery. He starts with the least invasive and most supportive therapies first, whenever possible.
Low libido is most often caused by hypogonadism, which is the scientific term for low T levels. Improving your general health and losing excess weight may be sufficient therapy to restore your T to more youthful and optimal levels. However, you might also be low or high in other hormones, including thyroid hormone.
If you have hypogonadism, Dr. Hsieh may recommend testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Our practice offers a number of TRT options, including:
To find out which remedy will restore your libido and get you back into the bedroom, contact us today. You can call our helpful team at 858-216-2771 or send us a message online.
