Erectile Dysfunction Treatment in Lubbock, TX
Don’t stress! ED is a perfectly normal thing to experience, and you are not alone. Approximately half of all men in the country experience erectile dysfunction at some point in their lives.
There is no straight answer to this question, as ED actually can have a variety of different causes. Everyone is different, and depending on your unique situation, you may need either a more physical or a more emotional approach to addressing your sexual difficulties.
Regardless of which approach you need, erectile dysfunction treatment specialists in Lubbock, TX can help design a personalized treatment plan that will help you take strides in a positive direction.
Psychological vs. Physical Erectile Dysfunction: What’s the Difference?
Erectile dysfunction (ED) occurs whenever you find yourself unable to get or maintain an erection when sexual encounters occur.
Psychological and physical erectile dysfunction both have unique causes that affect different mechanisms within the body. Understanding your unique causes can help your treatment provider better tailor your personalized treatment plan.
There are two main classes of erectile dysfunction that you can experience:
Psychological vs. Physical Erectile Dysfunction
- Psychological ED
Psychological ED happens when your emotional state negatively affects your sexual experience and prevents you from getting an erection. This can happen at any point during sex.
Anxiety, low self-esteem, and guilt are the most common causes of erectile dysfunction, and as it turns out, these are all also symptoms that are closely tied to depression. Men are also more likely to lose interest in activities during bouts of depression, as it affects the brain’s ability to stay motivated and release/manage rewarding pleasure chemicals.
When men lose this sense of intrinsic motivation, their sex drive can falter. It is also important to note that antidepressants are directly related to impotence. The chemicals present in these medications affect the same neurotransmitters that initially stimulate excitement and arousal.
Delayed orgasm or premature ejaculation can also surface, which are classic signals of an imbalanced neurochemical environment. Having troubles with sexual health can deepen feelings of worthlessness and other symptoms of depression, leading to a vicious cycle that only grows deeper with each instance of dysfunction.
Symptoms and Causes of Depression
The symptoms of depression are not well understood by researchers and can vary in frequency and severity from person to person. Generally, the more severe the case of depression you have, the more likely it is to have negative effects on your sexual health.
Sexual desire and instincts are cultivated in the brain, and the sex organs rely on chemicals in the brain in combination with hormones from the gonads to promote normal libido. These links work together to stimulate a physical response that triggers the blood flow needed to sustain an erection. This is also why erectile dysfunction treatments such as bioidentical hormone therapy can be so effective.
It is also not just the depression itself that may interfere with sexual health. In fact, antidepressants — the most common form of treatment for depression — can often render the person worse off than before they began the regimen.
- Physical Erectile Dysfunction
Physical ED happens when something isn’t right in the body. Any problem that blocks or restricts blood flow to the penis that is outside of your conscious control, is a good culprit for physical ED.
This can happen as a result of injury or a health condition that inhibits the proper flow of information needed to trigger the process. When the signal chain we mentioned above that triggers an erection is disrupted, it can make it difficult to have a normal sexual experience even if you have zero mental health issues.
This may be worse in older adults who have other conditions that are contributing to the same problem, such as a natural decline in hormone levels, blockages in arteries, and other physical factors. It is important to note that ED can also happen due to a combination of both psychological and physical causes.
Even a one-time bad experience can grow into bigger psychological worries. This is why so many men get caught in a vicious cycle. ED can occur during both masturbation (solo sex) and with your partner. Some people get it all the time, while others may only experience it periodically.
How To Improve Erectile Dysfunction
Whether you suffer from physical or psychological ED, there are ways to improve your sexual health and make positive progress.
Addressing your mental issues and your depression/anxiety is just one way you can overcome sexual dysfunction. In fact, according to a study published in American Family Physician, 70 percent of adults facing depression without treatment had problems with libido.
Other than chemical means for management, there is no known cure for depression. We recommend speaking to a sexual health therapist in addition to getting your hormone levels measured by a specialist.
Depression is a tough thing to fight, but with thoughtful counseling and personalized erectile dysfunction treatment regimens in Lubbock, TX you can create a much better chance of success. Our sexual health specialists can put you back on the path to wellness by providing expert guidance and a tailored plan that addresses your unique needs.
OWEN Health Group determine the root cause of your erectile dysfunction, whether it is psychological or physical, and apply treatment depending on your unique needs. This enables our team to help each individual get the treatment they need to make healthy progress.
For more information, reach out to our team of sexual health experts today at (806) 749-7975 to learn more about how you can overcome the unique challenges of erectile dysfunction.