Whenever a condition needs to be treated, it has to be diagnosed first so that the cause can be identified and the most effective medication be offered so the patient can be cured. The diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction fall under the same process and indeed it’s required if you are to recover from your ED condition. It’s obvious also that you should set up contact with your doctor and a dependable online pharmacist.
What is erectile dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction is simply the failure to achieve an erection that’s hard enough for having sex with your partner.
It’s known that one out of every 10 men will usually suffer from this condition sometime during their lifetime especially during the later stages of their lives.
You should be aware however that usually, your ED is the symptom of a different underlying problem that you have.
How is erectile dysfunction diagnosed?
You should realize at the outset that erectile dysfunction or ED has many different causes and therefore it’s most likely that your doctor will also give you different types of tests in order to diagnose the condition and also to establish what caused it.
It’s very important that the cause has been diagnosed because it’s only then that the condition can be treated with the most effective medication so that your condition can be treated in the most effective manner.
Your mental history
Before actually carrying out the testing phase, your doctor must go through these preparatory steps first:
- know your medical history
- perform a thorough physical examination on you
- have an “interview” with you to obtain essential information
the “interview” carried out in the final step above prior to performing the tests may become too personal and you may feel that your privacy is being invaded by your doctor.
Don’t worry, what your doctor is doing is gathering all the information that’s needed to ensure that the medication you’re given is the best for you. So you need to answer the questions completely and honestly.
These are some of the questions he may ask you:
- Are you now using medications or drugs? Included are prescription drugs, supplements for your diet, over-the-counter drugs, herbal medications and also illegal drugs that you may be taking,
- Have you experienced any psychological issues such as depression, stress and anxiety?
- When did you notice ED symptoms?
- How frequent are your elections?
- What can you say about the quality of your erections?
- How long do your erections normally last?
- Specifically, how, when and where did you first notice you had erectile dysfunction?
- Do you experience erections at night or in the mornings?
- What types of sexual techniques do you use?
- Do you have problems in your present relationship?
It’s also quite normal for your doctor to interview your sexual partner who may also know some underlying causes.
Once the physical examination and interview are over, your doctor may direct any one of the tests below to be performed to diagnose your condition.
- Duplex ultrasound – this test is regarded as perhaps the best test for evaluating your ED condition. It involves the use of an ultrasoundthat emits high-frequency sound waves that takes pictures of body tissues. For people already with erectile dysfunction, ultrasound can be used to determine blood flow, locate venous leaks and hardening of arteries (atherosclerosis), and scarring of tissues. The test should be performed when the penis is both erect, by injecting a drug that stimulates an erection, and when the penis is soft.
- Urinalysis – a great deal of information on the amount of protein, testosterone and sugar levels in your body can be obtained by analyzing your urine. If the levels are normal, then there’s nothing to worry about but if they are abnormal, then testosterone deficiency, diabetes or kidney disease may become problems for you.
- Blood hormone studies – when there are abnormal readings for two important sex hormones in the body, testosterone and prolactin, you may also need medication to normalize their consistency.
- Thyroid function test – A function of the thyroid hormone is to regulate the production of sex hormones which makes their presence in the body very important. This is so because ED can be caused by the insufficient amount of sex hormones that exist in the body.
- Lipid profile – this is a blood test that measures the level of lipids or fats such as Cholesterol that exist in the blood and can affect the circulation of blood in the penis.
- Liver and kidney function tests – these blood tests may be able to indicate whether your ED is caused by the improper functioning of your kidneys or liver.
- Complete blood count (CBC) – This is a group of tests that can, among other things, identify the presence of anemia. This disease is caused by low number of red blood cells which can result in fatigue which in turn gives rise to ED.
- Arteriography – the test is used on those to be given vascular reconstructive surgery. The leak is located by injecting the suspected leaking artery with a dye in order to identify the position of the leak.
- Cavernosopograpy – this test involves the injection of a dye into the penis which is X-rayed to make it possible to locate a venous leak.
- Dynamic infusion cavernosometry – this is a test used on men who have a venous leak of the artery.
- Vasoactive injection – this is a test that induces an erection by injecting solutions into the penis to make it dilate so that blood can flow into the penis and cause an erection.
- Penile biothesiometry – a test that involves the use of electromagnetic vibration to determine sensitivity and nerve damage.
- Nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) – the test uses the snap gauge and strain gauge methods to test a sleeping man’s erection during the night. No erection means there’s a problem with nerve function and blood circulation in the penis.
- Bulbocavernosus reflex – a test to determine penis sensation. The doctor squeezes the head of your penis and your anus should immediately contract as well. A delay in anus contraction means that an abnormality is present.
The treatment of erectile dysfunction after diagnosis
It’s very important that any condition that’s causing or making your erectile dysfunction worse should be treated with top priority and your doctor will ensure that this is done properly and efficiently.
If you are suffering from a variety of underlying conditions that are the root cause of your erectile dysfunction, you shouldn’t be alarmed if your doctor also suggests a variety of options for your treatment.
Before approaching a pharmacist to obtain your treatment, you doctor will explain all the benefits and risks of each medication so that you are fully aware of what you are taking as treatment.
Oral medications
Yes you are to take your medications orally and there are four options available in order of popularity and potency. They are:
- Sildenafil (Viagra)
- Tadalafil (Adcirca, Cialis)
- Vardenafil (Levitra, Staxyn)
- Avanafil (Stendra)
You should note that these four erectile dysfunction medications are prescribed by your doctor and are available through online pharmacists and at drugstores.
Conclusion
In order to counteract the destabilizing effects of erectile dysfunction, you must set up a dependable contact link with your doctor and a reliable drug supplier such as an online pharmacist. Even if you think that there’s a slim chance you may be affected by ED, you never know and these are two ways in which you can be sure of getting a satisfactory test, diagnosis and treatment for your erectile function if and when you do get infected.