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Sexual Problems In Men

Sexual problem also known as sexual dysfunction means a problem at any stage of the sexual response cycle which thwarts a man or couple from feeling pleasure from their sexual activity. Sexual response cycle has four phases which are: excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution.

Below are the major types of male sexual dysfunction:

  • Erectile dysfunction (finding it difficult to getting/keeping an erection)
  • Premature ejaculation (reaching orgasm too quickly)
  • Delayed or inhibited ejaculation
  • Low libido (a reduction in sexual interest)

What are the causes of sexual dysfunction in men?

The physical causes of total sexual dysfunction can be:

  • Low levels of testosterone
  • Over the counter drugs (antidepressants, high blood pressure medications)
  • Blood Vascular disorders such as atherosclerosis (arterial hardening) and high blood pressure
  • Damage to the nerve or stroke as a result of diabetes or surgery
  • Smoking
  • Alcoholism and drug addiction

Psychological causes of sexual dysfunction can include:

  • Thinking about sexual performance
  • Relationship problems or marital issues
  • Depression, feelings of guilt
  • Effects of past sexual trauma
  • Stress and anxiety at work

How do sexual problems affect men?

Ejaculation disorders, erectile dysfunction, and inhibition of sexual desire are the major and most common sexual problems in men.

What are Ejaculation Disorders?

There are various types of ejaculation disorders in men, including:

  • Premature ejaculation: This refers to ejaculation occurring before or immediately after penetration.
  • Inhibited or retarded ejaculation: This is when ejaculation is slowed down.
  • Retrograde ejaculation occurs when at orgasm, the ejaculates are forced back into the bladder, not through the urethra and out the end of the penis.

What Is Erectile Dysfunction?

This is also referred to as impotence, erectile dysfunction is defined as the inability to achieve and/or maintain an erection suitable for sexual intercourse. The causes of erectile dysfunction include diseases affecting blood flow, such as atherosclerosis (arterial hardening); nervous disorders; psychological factors such as stress, depression and performance anxiety (nervousness over his ability to perform sexually); and penile injuries. Chronic illness, some medications and the condition called Peyronie’s disease (scar tissue in the penis) can also cause erectile dysfunction.

What Is Inhibited Sexual Desire?

Inhibited desire also known as loss of libido concerns the reduction of desire or interest in sexual activity. Reduced libido can occur as a result of physical or psychological factors. It is associated with low levels of testosterone hormone. It can also be caused by psychological problems such as anxiety and depression; medical illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure; certain drugs, including some antidepressants; and relationship difficulties.

How Are Male Sexual Problems Diagnosed?

In order to diagnose sexual problem in men, the doctor will probably begin with a complete history of symptoms and physical examination. He or she may order further examinations to exclude all medical problems that may contribute to the malfunction. Your doctor may refer you to other healthcare professionals, including urologists (a specialist in the urinary tract and a male reproductive system), sexologists and other counselors.

How sexual problem in men are treated?

Majority of the cases of sexual problem can be corrected by treating basic physical or psychological problems. Treatment strategies may include the following:

Medical Treatment: this is the treatment of any physical problem that may contribute to sexual problems in men.

Drugs: some medications such as Cialis, Levitra, Staxyn, Stendra or Viagra can help improve erectile function in men by increasing the rate at which blood flow to the penis. Promescent is a drug which has been found to be used in the treatment of premature ejaculation. The topical spray is applied to the penis and contains lidocaine, which reduces sensitivity and provides better control of ejaculation.

Hormones: Men with low levels of testosterone may benefit from testosterone replacement therapy.

Psychological Therapy: Therapy with a trained counselor can help an individual with a sense of anxiety, fear or guilt that can affect their sexual function.

Mechanical aids: Mechanical aids such as vacuum devices and penile implants have been found to be helpful in men with erectile dysfunction.

Education and communication: Educating an individual about sex and sexual behaviors and responses may help a man overcome his anxieties about sexual performance. Having an open discussion with your partner about your wants and concerns also helps to overcome many obstacles to a healthy sex life.

Read More:

How to improve sexual performance

Sexual performance anxiety

Women Sex Problems

Existing and repeatable problems with sexual response, desire, or orgasm pains that make you to be uncomfortable or hinder your relationship with your partner are known medical as sexual dysfunction.

There are lots of women that have problems with sexual function at some point in their lifetime, and some have difficulties throughout their lives. Women’s sexual dysfunction may occur at any stage of life. This can only happen in certain sexual situations or in all sexual situations.

The sexual response involves a complex interplay of physiology, emotions, experiences, beliefs, lifestyles, and relationships. Disorder of any component can affect sexual desire, excitement, or pleasure, and treatment often involves multiple approaches.

How does sexual dysfunction affect women?

The most common problems associated with sexual dysfunction in women include are listed below:

  1. Inhibited sexual desire. This is simply a lack of sexual desire or interest in sexual activities. There are lots of factors that have been found to play vital roles in lack of desire, including hormonal changes, medical conditions, and treatments (e.g. cancer and chemotherapy), depression, pregnancy, stress, and fatigue. Boredom coupled with regular sexual routines may also contribute to a lack of enthusiasm for sex, as can lifestyle factors, such as careers and the care of children.
  2. Inability to become aroused. For women, the inability to wake physically during sexual activity often involves insufficient lubrication of the vagina. This disability may also be related to anxiety or inadequate stimulation. In addition, researchers are studying how the problems of blood circulation affecting the vagina and clitoris can contribute to excitement problems.
  3. Lack of orgasm (anorgasmia). This is the absence of sexual climax (orgasm). This can occur as a result of a woman’s sexual inhibition, inexperience, lack of knowledge, and psychological factors such as feelings of guilt, anxiety or past trauma or sexual abuse. Other factors contributing to anorgasmia include insufficient stimulation, some medications, and chronic illnesses.
  4. Painful intercourse. Pain during sexual intercourse can be caused by a variety of problems including endometriosis, a pelvic mass, ovarian cyst, vaginitis, poor lubrication, and the presence of scar tissue from surgery or sexually transmitted diseases. The condition called vaginismus is a painful, involuntary spasm of the muscles which surround the vaginal entrance. This can also happen in women who are afraid that penetration is painful; they may also be the result of sexual phobia or from a past traumatic or painful experience.

Diagnosis

To diagnose female sexual dysfunction, your doctor may:

  1. Discuss your sexual and medical history. You may be uncomfortable talking to your doctor about these personal issues, but your sexuality is key to your well-being. The more you can be aware of your sexual history and your current problems, the better the chance of finding an effective way to treat them.
  2. Perform a pelvic examination. During the examination, your doctor will check for physical changes that affect your sexual pleasure such as thinning of your genital tissue, reduced skin elasticity, scarring or pain.
  3. Order blood tests. Your doctor may recommend blood tests to check for any basic health problems that may contribute to sexual dysfunction.

Your doctor may also refer you to a counselor or therapist who specializes in sexual and relationships problems

Treatment of sexual problems

Remember that sexual dysfunction is just a problem if you do. If you do not mind, there is no need for treatment.

Since sexual dysfunction in women has many possible symptoms and causes, treatment is different. It is important that you communicate your concerns, understand your body and your normal sexual response. Additionally, your goals for your sex life are important for choosing the treatment and whether it will work for you or not.

Women with sexual problems are most often used by a combined approach to medical, emotional and relational treatment.

Non-medical treatment of sexual dysfunction in women

  • Practice healthy lifestyle habits
  • Seek counseling
  • Use a lubricant
  • Try a device

Medical treatment for female sexual dysfunction

Effective treatment for sexual dysfunction always needs addressing an underlying medical condition or hormonal change. It can be recommended by your doctor that you should change your present medications or prescribing a new one.

Learn more about Sexual problems in women

Best Erectile Dysfunction Treatments

Erectile dysfunction is a condition that plagues most men at some point in their lives. The important thing to note here is that even though this disease seems horrible to most men – this is due to their own interpretation of the disease. Many men feel that this is very emasculating as being able to maintain a firm erection is one of the centerpieces for most men. They fail to realize that, at the essence, erectile dysfunction is usually a relatively harmless condition.

That being said, there are some things that you could do in order to treat your erectile dysfunction problems. The first thing that you need to do is having a physical exam. If you consult with your doctor, then he or she will be able to tell you exactly what kinds of exams you will need to do in order to determine any underlying causes of erectile dysfunction. You can do blood and urine tests as well. The barrage of tests will be able to determine if there is an underlying problem that causes erectile dysfunction as a side-effect. An example of this kind of insidious disease is diabetes – it can ruin your blood vessels and your nerves and with it cause erectile dysfunction.

If you consult with your doctor, then he or she may prescribe some medication for you to use. You may have to take some pills like Viagra or Cialis in order to get a lasting, firm erection. These pills work by increasing the effects of nitric oxide. For those of you that don’t know – nitric oxide is a very important element for men’s erections. The lack of nitric oxide or its decreased potency can result in impotence. There are studies that show that over 90% of all male erectile dysfunction can be pinned down problems with nitric oxide. As is the case with most medication – taking Viagra or Cialis can have negative side-effects as well.

You can also use a penis pump in order to create an erection. The way penis pumps work is by sucking out the air around the area of your penis and enticing increased blood flow to the area. This will create an erection. In order to maintain a hard erection, you may need to use a penis ring at the base of your penis. This will restrict the pulling out of blood so that the erection can last longer. There are side effects to this as well – such as bruising and the penis being cold to the touch.

In all cases, erectile dysfunction is nothing to laugh at. It can (and does) happen to everybody at some point in their lives. That being said, there are options that you can try out and resolve your erectile dysfunction issues. If you follow the advice from above, then you’ll have a big chance of solving this problem. The smartest thing to do though is to contact your doctor and ask for professional advice. We hope that you will manage to effectively resolve it, check erectile dysfunction symptoms here.

Controlling High Blood Pressure

Chances are that you have heard the saying that high blood pressure is a silent killer. This is due to the fact that it’s asymptomatic for the most part but it can ruin a person’s health in the long run. It can devastate a person’s cardiovascular health or heart disease if left unchecked for prolonged periods of time.  This is why you’ll want to stabilize your blood pressure into normal levels. Below you will find some advice on how to do so.

The first thing to do is to visit the doctor regularly for the purpose of measuring blood pressure. The doctor will be able to give you important advice about how to manage your blood pressure. He or she will also tell you if you have any current issues with high blood pressure that you need to work on. In a bit more extreme situations, you may get prescriptions for stabilizing your blood pressure. You should adhere to them and start taking this medication regularly.

Then there are lifestyle factors that you need to change if you wish the best for your blood pressure. One of the most important things to do is decrease your weight – if you have issues with being overweight. For every 2.2 pounds that you lose, you will be able to get a decrease of 1 millimeter of mercury of blood pressure. So, taking care of your weight is one of the most important things to do in terms of blood pressure.

Exercising is also a very important thing to do in order to decrease blood pressure. Doing exercise for half an hour for most days of the week can get you a decrease of 5-8 mm/Hg if you have any issues with high blood pressure. In all cases, your best bet is to talk to your doctor for more information on whether you should begin to exercise. Generally safe forms of exercise that have been shown to be beneficial for a person’s blood pressure are walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, etc.

Eating a healthy diet can have a tremendously beneficial effect on your blood pressure. In all cases, you’ll want to eat fewer meats and processed foods and more vegetables and fruits. A balanced diet is the most important thing that you can have. In time, you will notice dramatic improvements not only in your blood pressure but also in your overall health.

Reducing a person’s sodium intake has been shown to have a positive influence on their blood pressure. Of course, people vary in how powerfully sodium influences their blood pressure. But if you have a diet rich in sodium and low in potassium – then you too may have issues with high blood pressure. Try to decrease the level of sodium and increase the level of potassium that you ingest in your body.

If you follow the advice from above, then you will experience a beneficial effect on your blood pressure. At the same time, you will be improving your overall health. These are the benefits of having a healthy lifestyle.

What is high blood pressure?

Protecting Your Sexual Health

The importance of the sexual health of a person cannot be overstated. It’s important to stay healthy in the deepest meaning that the word implies. And this involves abiding by some preventative measures that will keep your sexual health untarnished and secure. That being said, below you will find some information about how best you can protect and improve your sexual health.

  1. Hygiene.

If you want to remain healthy, then you need to keep clean. This goes especially for your sexual organs. A person needs to invest effort and time into maintaining nigh-perfect hygiene. In most cases, a bar of soap and some clean water will do the trick. A person will just need to regularly clean themselves and their sexual organs. This will make sure that they will maintain their sexual health.

  1. Being mindful of your sexual partners.

Sex is one of the most pleasurable activities for most people. However, it too is not without its risks. If you wish to maintain your sexual health, then you have to make sure that your partners are healthy. If they have an STD, then they could easily transfer it to you during intercourse. The sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are, for the most part, transferred through saliva, blood, and bodily fluids. In this sense, even a simple kiss can make you catch a serious disease like mononucleosis. It’s important to be open with your sexual partner about these subjects. If you can’t really be sure about the state of their sexual health, then you may want to err on the side of caution.

  1. Use condoms.

On a related note, the use of condoms is one of the most important things that you could do protect your sexual health. Condoms are shown to be very effective in the prevention of the transmission of many sexual diseases – to say nothing of unwanted pregnancies. However, it’s important to note that even the condoms aren’t perfect. Even if you wear or your partner wears a condom, you’re not 100% safe from catching and transmitting any STDs. In this sense, only celibacy is a perfect prevention method.

  1. Live a healthy lifestyle.

This advice is not only related to a person’s sexual health, but also to a person’s general health as well. One of the most important things that a person can do in life for the improvement of their overall health – sexual health included – is to start exercising and eating properly. If a person does these things, then he or she will experience a dramatic improvement in their overall health.

In conclusion

So, by now you’re armed with basic information about things you can do in order to protect your sexual health. As you can see, these things aren’t so difficult to implement. It’s when you go over yourself and you act in a risky way that your sexual health may suffer. So, follow the advice from above and you will notice a dramatic improvement in your sexual and overall health in time.

Sexual health from world health organisation

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