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Viagra Question

I’m married to a man in his late 40s with whom I’ve enjoyed a healthy sex life until the last few months. He tries but is finding it difficult to get and keep an erection. Needless to say, our love life has suffered. Is there any way I can help? Should I suggest that he take Viagra or one of the other ED drugs?

Answer

It has been observed that every case of erectile dysfunction has at least two victims: the man suffering from impotence and his partner who suddenly faces the loss of a fulfilling sex life because of ED. You can support your husband by being as understanding about his erectile problems as possible. Together, you can work toward finding a solution.

If your spouse’s ED symptoms are caused by insufficient blood flow to the penis, it’s likely that Viagra or one of the other ED drugs can help.

If the impotence is physiological in origin but doesn’t respond to treatment with Viagra, your family doctor can discuss other options that might help your husband to resume relatively normal sexual relations. Such alternatives include penile injection therapy, penile implants, and vacuum erection devices.

If the causes of his impotence are psychological in origin, the doctor might refer your husband to a psychological counselor who specializes in treating sexual dysfunction caused by depression, anxiety, or stress.

Perhaps the biggest gift you can give your husband as he seeks to overcome his erection problems is your understanding and willingness to partner with him in searching for a solution.

Viagra Question

I’m married to a man in his late 40s with whom I’ve enjoyed a healthy sex life until the last few months. He tries but is finding it difficult to get and keep an erection. Needless to say, our love life has suffered. Is there any way I can help? Should I suggest that he take Viagra or one of the other ED drugs?

Answer

It has been observed that every case of erectile dysfunction has at least two victims: the man suffering from impotence and his partner who suddenly faces the loss of a fulfilling sex life because of ED. You can support your husband by being as understanding about his erectile problems as possible. Together, you can work toward finding a solution.

If your spouse’s ED symptoms are caused by insufficient blood flow to the penis, it’s likely that Viagra or one of the other ED drugs can help.

If the impotence is physiological in origin but doesn’t respond to treatment with Viagra, your family doctor can discuss other options that might help your husband to resume relatively normal sexual relations. Such alternatives include penile injection therapy, penile implants, and vacuum erection devices.

If the causes of his impotence are psychological in origin, the doctor might refer your husband to a psychological counselor who specializes in treating sexual dysfunction caused by depression, anxiety, or stress.

Perhaps the biggest gift you can give your husband as he seeks to overcome his erection problems is your understanding and willingness to partner with him in searching for a solution.

Viagra Question

I’m in my early 50s and have never had a problem getting an erection until recently. Lately it seems that I’m losing my interest in sex. Can Viagra help in a situation like mine?

Answer

Neither Viagra nor any of the other oral ED medications are likely to increase your level of sexual desire. Testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, plays a key role in sexual desire, and low levels of the hormone can sometimes lead to a loss of desire for sex.

However, it should be noted that some men have very low blood levels of testosterone and still boast relatively robust libidos. Apart from a possible placebo effect, which in time would likely wear off, Viagra alone is not going to increase sexual desire. Ask your doctor to order a blood test to determine if your testosterone levels are abnormally low.

If they are, he might be persuaded to prescribe testosterone replacement therapy, which might help to fire up your libido.

In an article posted at WebMD.com, writer Emma Alvarez Gibson says most men buy into the myth that “real men are always in the mood,” which simply isn’t true.

Other physical causes of a loss of sexual desire include substance abuse, too little or too much exercise, or certain medications that tend to dampen sexual desire.

Psychological causes of declining sexual desire include depression, relationship problems, and stress. In some cases, a man may be suffering from a loss of sexual desire that is caused by both physical and psychological factors.

Viagra Question

I’m in my early 50s and have never had a problem getting an erection until recently. Lately it seems that I’m losing my interest in sex. Can Viagra help in a situation like mine?

Answer

Neither Viagra nor any of the other oral ED medications are likely to increase your level of sexual desire. Testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, plays a key role in sexual desire, and low levels of the hormone can sometimes lead to a loss of desire for sex.

However, it should be noted that some men have very low blood levels of testosterone and still boast relatively robust libidos. Apart from a possible placebo effect, which in time would likely wear off, Viagra alone is not going to increase sexual desire. Ask your doctor to order a blood test to determine if your testosterone levels are abnormally low.

If they are, he might be persuaded to prescribe testosterone replacement therapy, which might help to fire up your libido.

In an article posted at WebMD.com, writer Emma Alvarez Gibson says most men buy into the myth that “real men are always in the mood,” which simply isn’t true.

Other physical causes of a loss of sexual desire include substance abuse, too little or too much exercise, or certain medications that tend to dampen sexual desire.

Psychological causes of declining sexual desire include depression, relationship problems, and stress. In some cases, a man may be suffering from a loss of sexual desire that is caused by both physical and psychological factors.

Viagra Question

I suffer from low blood pressure. It gets so bad that I often feel like I’m going to pass out when I get up quickly from a seated position. Lately, I’m also finding it increasingly difficult to get an erection. Is Viagra use advisable for someone diagnosed with chronic hypotension?

Answer

Erectile dysfunction drugs, including Viagra and the other PDE5 inhibitors, are not recommended for men who suffer from chronic low blood pressure, also known as hypotension. The PDE5 inhibitors work their magic by temporarily dilating blood vessels to optimize blood flow to the penis.

This dilation of the blood vessels causes low blood pressure. If you are already suffering from chronic hypotension, taking Viagra or another of the PDE5 inhibitors could cause such a precipitous drop in blood pressure that you become faint and even lose consciousness.

Consult your doctor to see if there are alternative treatments for your symptoms of ED that won’t exacerbate your low blood pressure and cause serious health issues.

Viagra Question

Although I have sex with my girlfriend on a regular basis, I also masturbate frequently when I’m at home alone. Lately, I have been having difficulty achieving an erection. Could frequent masturbation be causing my erection problems and would Viagra help?

Answer

Although it’s been widely circulated, the theory that masturbation — even very frequent masturbation — can cause ED is a pure myth. Actually, masturbation is a form of exercise for the penis and helps to keep the male reproductive system in tip-top shape.

One saying that is not a myth is “use it or lose it.” So you need have little fear that masturbation will wear out your penis. While masturbation in and of itself won’t lead to ED, overexposure to pornography — particularly hard-core porn — can have a deleterious effect on male sexual function.

Some men who masturbate to pornography become highly aroused by the idealized bodies of the porn actors and the extreme sexual activities that are depicted.

So much so that plain old vanilla sexual activity with their regular partner no longer is enough to arouse them as much as it once did. For that reason, a steady diet of hard porn can desensitize the male libido, which may eventually demand ever more sensational imagery and action to get fully aroused.