Why men suffer erectile dysfunction, low sex drive as they age –Experts

Medical experts say the inability of men to have a satisfying sex life as they age is often due to low testosterone, damage to the blood vessels and nerves in the male organs.

The experts noted that these challenges usually lead to a lack of sex drive and erectile dysfunction.

According to them, diabetes, hypertension, obesity can also negatively affect males’ sexual performance.

Speaking with PUNCH HealthWise, a Consultant Urologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Dr. Oluwaseun  Akinola said erectile dysfunction is common among men from age 50 but is hardly discussed because of stigmatisation.

Erectile dysfunction is the inability to attain or maintain penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual intercourse.

Explaining, he said, “There are three things that could affect a male’s sexual performance and they have equal importance. Number one is the hormone. The hormone of the male is testosterone that is responsible for the desire to have sex and maintain an erection.

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“Secondly, we have the blood vessels in the male genital organ, with arteries and veins and you have the nerves which carry the signals and all these things need to be working perfectly for a man to have a good erection. But, if anything affects them, it can affect the sexual performance of a man.

“Whenever you have a combination of diabetes, high blood sugar, they can affect the function of the nerves in the genital organ and it could lead to erectile problems. If you have problems with the blood vessels, it can lead to problems with sexual performance.”

The Urologist also noted that obesity can affect sexual performance by damaging the blood vessels, and decrease testosterone.

“Obesity is related to poor management of sugar in the body, something we refer to as metabolic syndrome and can lead to diabetes which can affect the nerves.

“The important thing is for a man to see what can improve the functions of the hormones, nerves, veins and help reduce obesity. Things that will make you healthier are generally good for sexual health. So, weight loss, exercise, eating the right food can help. Exercise reduces obesity which can affect hormones as well.

“What happens in men that are fat is that testosterone produced by the body can be converted by the fat cells into estrogen and it can affect erectile function, even the desire to have sex.

“When a man presents with this problem, you have to find out what is causing the problem. Sometimes, you can reverse it and if addressed early enough,” he said.

Speaking further, Dr. Akinola said age is a risk factor for erectile dysfunction among men; “as the age increases, erectile dysfunction increases and several studies have confirmed this.”

Punch