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Is your penis failing you when you need it the most? Are you and your partner getting frustrated over your inability to keep the fun in the bedroom? Then you may be suffering from a condition known as erectile dysfunction.
Erectile dysfunction is a prevalent sexual disorder that is most common among aged men. It becomes much more difficult to maintain an erection once you approach your later years. In fact, research has suggested that about 70% of men above 70 years old experience erectile dysfunction.
While aging influences a man’s erectile function, many elderly men can still naturally produce healthy erections far beyond their prime. On the flip side, other factors may adversely affect your erection, such as weak pelvic floor muscles, certain medications, and spinal injuries.
Erectile dysfunction is an undeniably debilitating condition, regardless of the cause or age. That said, it’s still possible to maintain a healthy erection with the right treatment.
This article will help you on how to get and maintain a firm erection at 60, 65, and beyond.
What is Erectile Dysfunction?
Understanding and diagnosing any medical condition is a necessary step before treating it. As this is the case, let’s promptly define erectile dysfunction.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a condition that prevents erections from forming or staying long enough for sexual intercourse.
Erectile dysfunction is medically recognized when the following symptoms are present:
- Inability to achieve firmness for penetrative sex
- Inability to sustain an erection
- Reduced desire for sexual activity
Communicate with a local ED doctor or partner if you have any of these symptoms.
How to Maintain a Firm Erection After 65
Even though erectile dysfunction is widespread, treatment plans of erectile dysfunction exist and have been known to work on men in a more aged demographic.
On top of clinical treatment plans, positive lifestyle changes should be adopted to accelerate and guarantee prompt sexual recovery.
If you’re seeking healthier erections, consider applying one or a combination of the following methods below to bring back the firmness of your erections.
1. Erectile Dysfunction Medications
Erectile dysfunction can be treated with medications referred to as PDE5 inhibitors. They increase the blood flow to your penis when you are sexually aroused.
Erectile dysfunction drugs may treat a few cases of ED. However, some over-the-counter ED drugs may interact poorly with other prescription drugs and health conditions, so contact your doctor before trying any out.
It’s important to consider that ED pills often only target the symptoms of dysfunction, rarely treat the underlying causes of dysfunction, and come with severe side effects that make it a risky option for many men.
That said, some of the common ED drugs include:
- Sildenafil (Viagra)
- Tadalafil (Cialis)
- Vardenafil (Levitra)
- Avanafil (Stendra)
2. Treating Pre-existing Medical Conditions
It’s common for you to develop a range of health conditions as you age. It’s also not uncommon for erectile dysfunction to be directly caused by these infections or conditions.
In these cases, treating the underlying health condition may also help you treat erectile dysfunction.
Some of these health conditions prominent in the older population are:
- Coronary heart disease
- Atherosclerosis (clogged arteries)
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Prostate cancer
By treating these conditions, it’s possible to restore proper sexual functioning. However, it’s not always a guarantee.
3. Maintaining Testosterone Levels
As you age, your testosterone levels reduce by approximately 1% every year, leading to low testosterone levels.
Low testosterone levels play a large role in contributing to erectile dysfunction. The link between testosterone and erectile dysfunction is established through research studies, though the exact mechanism is not yet known.
On top of that, low testosterone affects your sex drive and cardiovascular and physical health, including bone strength and muscle mass.
One viable form of treatment for low testosterone is testosterone replacement therapy. This approach uses multiple methods to increase T levels in the form of injections, pellets, gels, or patches.
4. Intracavernosal Injections
Injections are another way to treat ED. Injectable medications such as Alprostadil get injected into the spongy tissue in the penis, allowing the blood vessels to dilate.
The drugs in the injection relax smooth muscle in the vessels in the penis. This results in an erection around 10 to 15 mins after the injection.
Doctors may recommend a combination of drugs like papaverine, phentolamine, atropine, and forskolin, with a variation in dosage. You may utilize such injections yourself after training or by a urologist.
According to research studies, the intracavernosal injection treatment has a success rate of 60% to 70%. Priapism may be a side effect.
5. Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
While it may seem like ED treatment is only dealt with at a clinic, some ways of managing ED symptoms are completely under your control. By keeping yourself fit, healthy, and in shape, you can overcome ED.
Maintaining a healthy diet with frequent exercise can help reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction. Obese men are 30% to 90% more at risk than non-obese patients, according to an article published in the International Journal of Impotence Research.
Another factor that affects erection is alcohol consumption. As such, try to reduce your alcohol consumption if it’s too high; it will benefit both your health and your sexual life.
Sleep can also affect your erection. Insomnia and other sleep disorders can contribute to sexual dysfunction. So remember to sleep tight every night.
6. Acoustic Wave Therapy
Acoustic wave therapy is a new treatment for ED. Low-intensity sound waves are transmitted to the penis, breaking up plaque in the arteries and stimulating tissue growth.
Some studies suggest that acoustic wave therapy may be an effective treatment for erectile dysfunction, with a success rate of over 60% for participants with a mean age of 65.
Acoustic wave therapy is an especially good choice as it leaves the patient with little to no side effects afterward, posing little risk to one’s long-term health.
Common Causes of ED
Erectile dysfunction is a multifactorial condition, meaning that it can stem from various health conditions in your body. This is because the process of attaining an erection requires movements from the heart, brain, nerves, and pelvic region.
If there are any issues in these organ systems, erectile problems may occur as a result.
A few health conditions that may cause ED include the following:
- Cardiovascular disease
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes and obesity
- Parkinson’s disease
- Prostate cancer surgeries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Mental conditions like depression
- Alcohol and substance abuse
- Certain medications
Opening up about erectile dysfunction may be difficult, but around 30 to 50 million men in the US alone are afflicted by this condition. Doctors have a wealth of experience treating ED cases, so you can be confident that there is a path to recovery.
Consult Tampa’s Leading ED Clinic for a Medical Consultation
Erectile dysfunction is debilitating for both the sufferer and their partner’s sex life, and it’s most common among aged men.
Although aging is inevitable, applying positive lifestyle changes and following proper treatment plans can allow you to maintain youthful vigor.
If you have erectile dysfunction and other sexual health issues, consulting medical guidance may be a beneficial step to consider.
The medical professionals at Tampa men’s clinic Prestige Men’s Medical Center specialize in treating conditions that impact men’s health. Our concierge approach positions your unique case at the centerpoint of our focus. We don’t just give you a pill for ED and send you on your way. We treat the underlying issues that led to conditions such as ED, PE, Low Testosterone, and more. Contact our office today to schedule an appointment.
