Erectile Dysfunction and Diabetes: Causes and Connections

Health Tips

Erectile Dysfunction, also known as Impotence, is a medical condition where a man cannot maintain or keep an erection for long enough to have sexual intercourse. Doctors haven’t emphasised much on the connection between Erectile Dysfunction and Diabetes till now. It’s pretty evident that Diabetics face ED from an early age. Even after being two completely different health conditions, they tend to exist together in a large number of people. 

If you are one of the many men suffering from ED and Diabetes, don’t worry you can easily get diabetes medications from online pharmacies.

Connection and Causes

Even though there can be many causes of Erectile Dysfunction, physical, psychological, or both, Diabetes still tops them all in being one of the most common causes. Researchers have found that around 35- 75% of men suffering from Diabetes tend to develop ED. It doesn’t stop there, they also start showing ED symptoms about 10-15 years before men without Diabetes.

ED is generally caused in Diabetics because of the poor blood supply. It damages the blood supply to the penis and also the nerves that control the erection in men. When a male is sexually aroused, nitric oxide is released in his bloodstream, which relaxes the muscles in the penis. This allows more blood flow to the penile area and helps a man get an erection. 

In a case where Diabetes is poorly managed, the blood sugar levels shoot to a higher level, which disturbs the whole process, and less nitric oxide is produced. This means that blood flow to the penis is not enough to maintain an erection. 

A few other causes of ED can be obesity, cholesterol, high blood pressure, low testosterone levels, depression, anxiety, stress, smoking, and a drinking problem.

Tests and Diagnosis 

Your doctor can perform the following tests to diagnose your ED condition:

  • Nervous system tests like sweat tests and blood pressure tests – To rule out damage to sweat glands, heart, and blood vessels.
  • Blood tests – To check an increase in blood sugar level.
  • Physical examination – To check nerve reflexes in the penis and legs and to assess genitals.
  • Hormone tests – To evaluate the levels of hormones like testosterone.
  • Sexual health questionnaire – To diagnose the severity of Impotence.
  • Urinalysis test – To determine sugar level in urine.
  • Take patient history – To examine their complete medical history and check why they are facing problems in having an erection and what’s the cause.
  • Injection to the penis – A drug injection is given to the penis to check the blood supply to the penis.

Lifestyle Tips 

Keeping Diabetes under control is an excellent way to reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction. Following are some lifestyle tips that you should follow to control ED and Diabetes both:

  • Control your blood sugar levels to reduce the risk of developing ED.
  • Stop smoking and reduce the intake of alcohol
  • Eat a healthy diet and do regular physical exercise.
  • Losing weight will increase testosterone levels and improve erectile function and sexual desire.
  • Relax and get enough sleep every night.
  • Reduce stress and tension, and it will help you improve ED and Diabetes both.

Treatments

ED treatments are the same for men who have Diabetes and for men who got ED due to some other reasons. The most common treatments which doctors recommend are oral tablets like sildenafil (viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra). These are PDE5 inhibitors that work to increase the blood flow to the penis to help keep and maintain an erection during sexual stimulation. These are usually taken 30-60 minutes before the sexual activity. You can buy Erectile dysfunction pills online that help to treat infertility in men.

There are several other treatments for ED, such as Penile Injection therapy, hormone therapy, vacuum pump therapy, penile prosthesis, etc., that doctors recommend if oral tablets are not able to help with ED symptoms.

To conclude 

In conjunction with a Health care provider’s guidance, medications can significantly help you reduce ED and Diabetes symptoms. Discuss the ED treatment plan with your doctor; he will provide you with one that doesn’t interfere with your diabetes treatment. In the end, we all know that a well-balanced, healthy diet, adequate exercise, and appropriate stress management techniques have shown positive results in preventing ED symptoms and are equally important in treating Diabetes.

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