Surgery requires a steady hand, nerves of steel, and patience. When everything goes correctly, going under the knife can lead to complete changes in health for a person, and can often be the line between life and death. But surgery is still performed by humans, and humans aren’t perfect. Occasionally, a hand will slip or a scalpel will falter, and this can lead to new issues within the body. If you recently underwent invasive surgery and you find it difficult to achieve an erection, these issues could be related.
That’s not to say that going in to get your tonsils removed could spell certain death for your erection. Surgery-related ED tends to develop almost exclusively from surgery related to the removal of cancers. As cancer removal surgery typically requires lots of poking and prodding around vital nerves and vessels, it is high risk. Should the surgery be situated in the pelvis or lower section of the body, this puts the surgeon in close quarters to the nerves and vessels that lead to the penis. If these vitals should be nicked or poked, this could translate into the body being unable to supply the signals or blood to the penis necessary for an erection, translating into erectile dysfunction.
The four most common ED-inducing surgeries are:
• Radical prostatectomy
• Radical cystectomy
• Abdominoperineal resection
• Total pelvic exenteration
If you’ve undergone these surgeries, or are preparing to undergo these surgeries, talk to your doctor about potential solutions for ED. Vessel and nerve injury can typically be repaired, meaning your erection should return, but it might take a bit of ED drugs and patience before your erection goes back to normal.