Treatment Options for Male Impotence

Male impotence or erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability of a male to develop and maintain an erection that is needed for sufficient intercourse. The good news is that it is treatable and there are several treatment options to choose from.

1. Drug Therapy to cure ED: Two types of drugs are normally used to treat impotence- oral drugs; drugs that are injected into the penis. If you have low levels of testosterone, you can have oral testosterone to combat ED. Muscle relaxants like Nitroglycerin can be rubbed on the surface of the penis to enhance erection. If you inject a drug into the penis, the blood flow to the penis increases and an erection can be developed. When your impotence is caused due to insufficient supply of blood to the penis, this method of treatment that can be adopted. Some of the drugs that can help improve blood supply to the penis are prostaglandin E1, papaverine hydrochloride and hentolamine. But you must keep in mind that some of these have side effects and so, it is important to discuss this with your doctor.

2. Psychotherapy to cure ED: You may suffer from impotence due to stress or anxiety that is connected with intercourse. If that is the case, then psychotherapy can be of great help. Your partner can play a vital role in helping you get over the impotence problem. When you develop intimacy and stimulation takes place, it helps overcome ED. Such techniques are used in the treatment of both, psychological and physical impotence.

3. Vacuum devices to cure ED: Mechanical vacuum devices can help cure ED too. They normally consist of a pump, plastic cylinder and an elastic band. The penis is placed in the cylinder and the pump is used to remove air from the cylinder. Elastic band helps maintain the erection once the cylinder is removed.

Mechanical vacuum devices work by creating a partial vacuum around the penis, which increases blood flow into the penis. Once sufficient blood flows into the penis, erection can be developed. The erection can be maintained by placing the elastic band at the base of the penis, as it prevents blood from flowing out of the penis.

4. Surgery to cure ED: If your impotence is due to problems in the arteries in and around the penis, then reconstructive surgery of these arteries can help. Such surgeries will help remove the blocks in the blood flow to the penis. At times, surgery is performed to block off the veins, so that blood does not flow out of the penis too easily. Then again, there are other surgeries in which devices are implanted to allow normal erection.

One such option consists of malleable implants having paired rods, which are surgically implanted into the corpora cavernosa. You can adjust the rod position to attain erection. Inflatable implants having paired cylinders are also used to treat erectile dysfunction. In this case, erection can be produced by inflating the cylinder using a small pump.

A large section of the male population suffers from impotence in some form or the other, at some stage of their life. So remember that you have all these treatment options to combat erectile dysfunction.

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