Erectile dysfunction: ED and infertility can be related
Erectile dysfunction is a common problem, affecting roughly 30 million men in the United States. About 1 in 6 couples with infertility struggle with ED or premature ejaculation. ED is defined as the inability to achieve or maintain an erection firm enough for satisfactory intercourse. ED and infertility are related not only because reaching ejaculation is challenging, but also because couples struggling with ED often don’t have sex as much as they need to in order to increase the chances of conception.
ED can be caused by many factors.
- Low or abnormal levels of hormones, including testosterone, which can also affect sex drive and sperm production and development.
- Smoking, alcohol or substance abuse.
- Other medical problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis or diabetes
- Mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression or stress.
- Medication, including blood pressure or anti-anxiety drugs
- Obesity
- Side effects of certain prostate or bladder cancer treatments
- Surgery or trauma to the male reproductive organs or spinal cord
Regardless of the cause of ED, our New Braunfels male factor specialists are here to help you grow your family when you are ready.
Approaches to address ED and infertility
The good news is that men with ED and infertility have many options. Often, erectile dysfunction can be improved with medications or other simple changes.
- Medications to help men get an erection, such as Viagra.
- If the cause is a drug side effect, switching to different medications that have less risk of causing ED.
- Pentoxifylline, a medication that can improve sperm quality as well as erectile dysfunction.
- Therapy and counseling to address psychological causes of ED.
- Lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, eating a healthier diet, and cutting back on alcohol.
- Hormone therapy.
- Vacuum erection devices or penile implants.
In some cases of erectile dysfunction, a man may need to see a urologist for diagnosis and treatment.
Fertility treatments for men with ED
For many men struggling with ED and infertility, time is of the essence. If erectile dysfunction does not improve with other methods, or if couples don’t want to wait for improvement, highly effective fertility treatments are available. Our New Braunfels male factor specialists have access to all assisted reproductive technologies and state-of-the-art laboratory services to help couples conceive.
- Intrauterine insemination, for which sperm can be collected and banked ahead of time to ensure it’s available at the time of ovulation.
- IVF, which can use either fresh sperm, pre-collected frozen sperm, or sperm extracted directly from the testicles in a procedure called TESE.
- ICSI, in which sperm are injected directly into eggs retrieved in IVF to create embryos.
Help and hope is here
Men and couples struggling with ED don’t need to suffer in silence. Help and hope is available to put you on the path to parenthood. Contact our New Braunfels male factor specialists to learn about your options.