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Diagnosing Impotence

Determining whether erectile dysfunction is caused by physical or psychological factors is fairly simple. A doctor simply needs to ask if a man is experiencing nocturnal ejaculations (or wet dreams). If the answer is yes, then there is probably nothing physically wrong with his reproductive system and the impotence cause is likely to be psychological.

Psychological counseling or sex therapy may be recommended to help you deal with the issues causing your impotence. However, if the answer is no, then physical causes of erectile dysfunction will need to be investigated.

To diagnose a physical cause, a doctor may use a Doppler to evaluate blood flow through the arteries of the penis. A nocturnal penile tumescence test may also be conducted as this examines whether normal nighttime erections are occurring.

Impotence Treatment

Men who have been diagnosed with impotence have a variety of erectile dysfunction treatment options. Which is best for you will depend on the reason behind your impotence.

Erectile dysfunction drugs

Men whose impotence is the result of prescription drug use will likely be switched to a different type of medication. Erectile dysfunction drugs have also been shown to be very helpful for those men who cannot achieve an erection. Because physical factors often cause improper blood flow to the penis, these oral medications work to regulate the blood flow necessary for erection by increasing certain enzymes while suppressing others in the system.

There are a variety of impotence medications available on the market today, the best known of which is likely Viagra™. Like most medications, how effective an impotence drug will be varies from man to man. It may be necessary to try a few different brands before finding one that works for you. Other types of prescriptions for impotence include penile injections, which help the blood vessels to dilate, thereby increasing the blood flow to the penis, and urethral suppositories.

Sex therapy

Sex therapy is also increasingly being recommended for men suffering from erectile dysfunction, regardless of the cause. A man’s self-esteem often suffers when he experiences impotence and sex therapy can help him work through that.

Often it is recommended that both partners attend sex therapy sessions so that they can improve their communication with each other as well as resolve any tension that may exist between them as a result of the sexual dysfunction.