How Our Sexual Health Changes as We Age

Aging often affects your sexual function a lot and this process eventually leads you towards erectile dysfunction (ED). ED is a condition where men fail to get a strong erection long enough for sexual intercourse.

In the past, it was believed that ED was caused due to psychological problems like anxiety and excessive workload. However, it’s now estimated that 80% of all ED cases are caused due to physical reasons. Even though the chances of getting erectile problems to increase with age, many other factors cause ED as you grow older. Take a look at a few things you should prepare for if you want to reduce the risk of inability to achieve an erection.

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

This disease is a collection of blood vessels and heart problems which effect men get as they grow older. Your heart is responsible for pumping blood in your body. The increase in blood flow in your penis is how you get your erection. Ultimately, if your heart gets weak, you’ll experience many difficulties in getting stronger erections. The narrowing and hardening of arteries prevent blood from flowing efficiently around your body. Cardiovascular disease can result from poor diet, smoking, lack of exercise, and obesity. In fact, smokers ejaculate 5x faster than those who don’t smoke on a daily basis.

DIABETES

This disease is another leading cause of ED. Diabetes damages your blood vessels and nervous system. This eventually affects your normal blood flow and also reduces the sensitivity of your sexual organs. Your mind doesn’t respond to sexual desires like it would if you didn’t have this disease. Research shows that men who over 45 years of age, are more likely to get diabetes. Therefore, you need to eat healthily and stay more careful when you reach your 40th birthday.

NEUROGENIC CONDITIONS

The term neurogenic refers to anything that’s connected to the nervous system. There are various diseases men can get that damage their nervous system and eventually lead to ED. A few of these conditions are:

• Stroke
• Multiple sclerosis
• Spinal injury or tumor
• Parkinson’s disease

WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR BLOOD VESSELS AS WE AGE?

You are not going to stay young forever. The fear of growing old can be utilized in preparing for a stronger heart that keeps your sexual activity alive without any medication. However, as pleasing as it may sound, it’s pretty rare to maintain the same health as you grow older. Once you are an adult, your heart’s natural pacemakers start to lose its speed due to fat, fibrous tissues or even blood clots. This will slow down your heart rate and reduce your energy. Our bodies fail to maintain blood pressure due to desensitization of our baroreceptors. Baroreceptors are what allow the body to monitor your blood pressure.

According to medical experts, long-term blood pressure problems can result in damaging your blood vessels. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. Damaged blood vessels reduce your blood flow and make it difficult for you to get a stronger erection.

TREATMENTS TO OVERCOME THESE PROBLEMS

For those adults who haven’t experienced ED yet know that they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle to avoid it in the near future. However, if you are going through this condition due to problems that you’ve developed due to aging, you can consider the following treatments.

ORAL AND INJECTED MEDICATIONS

The most commonly used treatment method by older men to get better erections is medicine. There are two types of drugs doctors can prescribe to you according to your age and physical condition. You could get oral medication that can give you immediate results which can last for up to 36 hours.

On the other hand, for those who don’t find any success in oral medicines, get prescribed penile injections. In this treatment, you inject medication directly into your penis. It may take time to give you results and, the effect usually doesn’t last longer than an hour. Apart from that, you may also experience a mild to moderate dull ache in your penis. It’s better to talk to your doctor before using this treatment method.

PENILE IMPLANTS

This is a surgical treatment for men how can’t find success with other methods. This is a 45-minute procedure that involves an implant being placed in your penis. You can experience long-lasting and natural erections with this treatment. However, there is always a risk factor for certain side effects like infections that develop over the years.

SHOCKWAVE TREATMENT

The most innovative and effective treatment option is a shockwave therapy. This is a 20-30 minute in-office procedure that brings back your natural erections back. The high-frequency, low-intensity sound waves used in this process trigger all your damaged stem cells and also heal your blood vessels. In addition, so far this treatment has worked for over 80% men in getting long lasting erections. If you are looking for an immediate result that brings back your sex life then this is the best option.

WRAP UP

Erectile dysfunction is an embarrassing condition for many men, and it is becoming more common amongst men of all ages. However, young people still manage to avoid this problem more than half the time. On the other hand, older men start getting weaker with their heart not performing like it used to.

If you are facing ED, you should visit your doctor today. After evaluating your condition, they will advise on which treatment method you should opt for. Normally, doctors start with oral medications and move on as your body is becoming tolerant. In the end, you may even need to go through a surgery or shockwave treatment to get your erections back.