From the moment your hormones start developing in your teens and your body matures, sex begins to play an essential role in your life, including how testosterone and estrogen affect your body and urges to procreate. Even if you don’t want to have children, the need for sex is a part of your life, thanks to hormones.
This makes sexual dysfunction all the more troubling when it happens, and while it can happen in both sexes, it’s often thought of as a problem typical of men in their 40s, 50s, or older who experience erectile dysfunction (ED). While many men struggle with this problem at that point in their lives, it’s entirely possible for men as young as their 20s to deal ED.
To find out why, we need to examine the basics of ED, why it happens in younger men, and how it can be treated. Men of any age struggling with ED in the Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, or South Florida area can find help from Dr. Craig Herman, Dr. Steven Kester, and the medical staff at Urology Center of Florida.
Men with erectile dysfunction have problems getting or maintaining an erection. Erections occur when you become aroused, and blood travels through the blood vessels in your penis. Your ability to do so can be affected by issues including emotional changes, fatigue, and drinking alcohol.
Chronic issues with these factors, along with substance misuse and medical issues like heart problems, nerve problems, and hormonal deficiencies, also cause problems with getting erections and can lead to long-term personal issues. It’s estimated that over 50% of men between 40 and 70 have some form of ED, but many won’t seek treatment out of embarrassment.
ED doesn’t just affect middle-age men, however. In one study, as many as 26% of ED cases occur in men under 40, with several issues responsible for it, including:
Illnesses affecting your cardiovascular system, such as peripheral artery disease, coronary artery disease, and Peyronie’s disease, all increase the risk of ED in men of any age.
Nerve damage that comes with issues like spinal cord trauma, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy can affect sexual function.
Illnesses that affect hormone levels, like diabetes, congenital hypogonadism, hyperthyroidism, and Klinefelter syndrome, can prevent erections.
Sexual activity can be affected by drugs including antidepressants, antiseizure medications, antipsychotics, and opioids.
Emotional issues like low self-esteem, societal and family pressures, performance anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship troubles, can affect mental health and prevent erections.
Among the many problems smoking can cause at any age is the ability to get and maintain erections.
The risk of substance misuse of alcohol, methamphetamines, cocaine, and other dangerous drugs can lead to ED.
ED in younger men can be managed in several ways, depending on the cause. Reducing or eliminating alcohol, smoking, and illicit drugs can reduce the problems with ED, along with counseling, improving your diet, and getting more exercise. Communication with your partner can help ease tensions and relieve stress.
Testosterone therapy can help restore normal levels, and drugs like oral phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors can help increase blood flow, as can intracavernosal injections, intraurethral suppositories, and vacuum constriction devices. Implanted penile prostheses can also help.
If you’re struggling with ED, no matter your age, call or message our office in Pompano Beach, Florida, today to get the help you need.
