Erectile dysfunction and an enlarged prostate are often linked in older men, with treatments for prostate cancer also causing problems. Surgery, radiation therapy, cryosurgery, and hormone therapy can all lead to erectile dysfunction, but nerve-sparing surgery and new radiation treatments can reduce the risk. Pharmaceutical treatments like Viagra and injections can also help.
As men age, the physical problems related to erectile dysfunction and the prostate become intertwined. Erectile dysfunction, the inability of the penis to become or stay erect, is one of several symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate. Also, erectile dysfunction is a possible side effect of many of the treatments for prostate cancer.
Symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate include a blocked urethra and changes in bladder function. These symptoms can also affect a man’s ability to achieve a full erection. The necessary blood flow to the penis can be inhibited by an enlarged prostate and lead to impotence.
Prostate cancer treatments are the most common causes of problems related to erectile dysfunction and prostate. The first possible treatment involves extracting the entire prostate gland via surgery. A second, less invasive course of prostate cancer eradication involves radiation treatment. Cryosurgery is another alternative that works by freezing the cancerous tissue. Finally, hormone therapy is also a viable option to remedy prostate cancer.
The removal of the entire prostate, radical prostatectomy, causes immediate erectile dysfunction. The effects of erectile dysfunction after the prostate removal process can be mitigated by the way radical prostatectomy is performed. A form of surgery called a nerve-sparing technique removes the prostate without damaging the nerves needed to achieve an erection and then allows erectile function to recover within a year. If the nerve-sparing technique is employed, restoration of any form of erectile function is highly unlikely.
Radiation therapy gradually causes erection problems in the prostate. The radiation focuses on the prostate and kills cancerous cells. Within six months of treatment, problems related to erectile dysfunction and prostate may present themselves in the form of impotence. New forms of radiation treatment, such as the implantation of radioactive ‘seeds’ that cure cancer from within the body, reduce the possibility of problems related to erectile dysfunction and prostate development.
Cryosurgery involves freezing the prostate. As a result, the nerves that facilitate an erection are also frozen, leading to erectile dysfunction. Decreased testosterone production is a side effect of hormone therapy. Since testosterone plays a role in the ability to achieve an erection, less of it contributes to erectile dysfunction.
Problems related to erectile dysfunction and prostate can be circumvented in several ways. Pharmaceuticals like Viagra relax the muscles in the penis and improve blood flow to the penis, resulting in an erection being achieved. This can benefit those suffering from an enlarged prostate gland. Injections of drugs directly into the veins of the penis also help relieve symptoms caused by erectile dysfunction.
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