7 Common ED Myths Uncovered

There are many misconceptions about erectile dysfunction and its causes. Get the facts to straighten out any confusion about ED.

Erectile dysfunction, or ED, is a common sexual dysfunction affecting up to 30 million American men. But despite its prevalence, erectile dysfunction is often misunderstood. Below are some common myths about ED and the facts that prove them wrong.

ED Myth No. 1: Tight Underwear Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction

Truth: “There is no research showing that wearing tight underwear can lead to erectile dysfunction,” says Alan W. Shindel, MD, clinical instructor and fellow of andrology at the University of California at San Francisco. However, tight underwear may contribute to infertility. Keeping testicles too close to the body raises their temperature and hinders sperm production.

ED Myth No. 2: ED Occurs When You’re Not Attracted to Your Partner

Truth: While a lack of attraction — or even some trouble in the relationship — can contribute to erectile dysfunction, the majority of ED is physiological. “The trouble starts with a biological reason, which can lead to confidence issues, avoiding sex, fear of failure, and then avoiding your sex partner,” Shindel explains.

ED Myth No. 3: Erectile Dysfunction Is a Normal Part of Aging

Truth: Erectile dysfunction is not an inevitable part of growing older. “Like arthritis and heart disease, erectile dysfunction is just more common in older men,” says Shindel. “Certain health conditions increase in likelihood with age, as does erectile dysfunction.” ED can also be a warning sign of another condition, such as cardiovascular disease. The penis is a vascular organ, and therefore any condition that interferes with blood flow in the body can affect erections.

ED Myth No. 4: Erectile Dysfunction Only Affects Older Men

Truth: While older men have a higher incidence of erectile dysfunction, impotence can happen to men of any age. Younger men who have diabetes, high blood pressure, or cardiovascular problems are at particularly high risk.

ED Myth No. 5: Erectile Dysfunction Is Best Treated With Oral Medications

Truth: Erectile dysfunction medications don’t work for everyone, and they’re not usually the first line of treatment. Doctors initially recommend healthy lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking and losing weight. The next step might be to identify possible medications that could be causing erectile dysfunction or to try psychotherapy. Eventually, oral medications may be prescribed to increase blood flow to the penis and achieve erection. Buy Steroids

ED Myth No. 6: Erectile Dysfunction Is Only an Emotional Issue

Truth: It was once believed that erectile dysfunction was solely psychological. Today, experts believe physiological factors are at the root of most erectile dysfunction cases. Physiological causes can be related to health conditions, such as diabetes, kidney disease, or high blood pressure, as well as due to side effects from medication. These physical factors can also contribute to emotional ones. “When a man experiences erectile dysfunction, he can become anxious or depressed, and the erectile dysfunction can become a source of psychological stress,” says Shindel

ED Myth No. 7: Erectile Dysfunction Cannot Be Caused by Riding a Bicycle

Truth: Cycling is linked to a higher risk of erectile dysfunction. “If you fell asleep in a very awkward position in a chair, you’d get pins and needles in a part of the body to which the blood wasn’t flowing properly,” says Irwin Goldstein, MD, clinical professor of surgery at University of California at San Diego, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital, and director of San Diego Sexual Medicine. “When you ride a bike, most of your body weight is on the crotch, causing damage by crushing endothelial cells.”

ED is a complex issue with many possible causes and many possible treatments. The best way to discover what's behind your ED is to talk openly with your doctor and get an accurate diagnosis.

12 Common Causes of Low Libido

Has your desire disappeared? Once you get down to the root of your wrecked sex drive, you can take action to get it back again.

From a lack of sleep to having too much to drink, low libido is caused by a number of physiological, emotional, and lifestyle factors. Here are 12 common issues that can ruin the mood.

1. Stress. The body reacts to stress by releasing adrenaline and cortisol. Chronic stress, in particular, can interfere with your body’s hormone levels, and result in a low libido. The arteries can also narrow and restrict blood flow in response to stress, which can also lead to erectile dysfunction. Stress can also reduce your libido by distracting you and taking your mind off sexual desire.

2. Depression. Libido and depression share a complicated link. “Depression can change the body's biochemistry and therefore reduce libido,” says Mark L. Held, PhD, a clinical psychologist in the Denver area. “It's also harder to feel sexual when you're depressed.” Some medications commonly used to treat depression may also lower libido as a side effect.

3. Low Self-Esteem. It's hard to feel sexy when your self-confidence is down or when you have an unhealthy body image. “Someone who feels unattractive is less likely to want to engage in sex,” says Held. “Fears of rejection may also come in to play.”

4. Alcohol or Drug Use. While a little alcohol can help lower inhibitions, too much can impair your nervous system and lead to fatigue — making it difficult to become aroused. Other drugs can decrease your sex drive as well. For example, marijuana suppresses the pituitary gland, which regulates the production of testosterone.

5. Lack of Sleep. A good night's rest might be hard to come by, but you need sleep to keep a sharp mind, a healthy body, and an active libido. “When you’re exhausted, you’d rather catch up on sleep,” says Alan W. Shindel, MD, clinical instructor and fellow of andrology at the University of California at San Francisco. Physically, a lack of sleep can elevate cortisol levels, which also leads to low libido. Even more surprising in the sleep-ED connection? One recent study found that men with restless leg syndrome (a neurological disorder characterized by jumpy, creepy-crawly sensations as you’re falling asleep) are at higher risk for erectile dysfunction, probably due to low dopamine levels.

6. Medication. Some medications used to treat depression, high blood pressure, and other common illnesses can affect libido or cause sexual dysfunction.

7. Erectile Dysfunction. Low libido is a common emotional side effect of ED. “Once a man experiences ED, he may get anxious,” says Shindel. “His confidence is shaken, and he might be afraid it will happen again. His libido shuts down to preserve his ego.”

8. Hormone Imbalance. Libido is directly influenced by testosterone levels. Therefore, low libido is often caused by low testosterone levels — a hormone imbalance. “Low testosterone can be caused by injury, inflammation, or tumors in the testicles,” says Ira Sharlip, MD, clinical professor of urology at University of California at San Francisco and a spokesperson for the American Urological Association. Other causes of a hormone imbalance include cirrhosis of the liver or pituitary diseases. “The liver is responsible for breaking down estrogen; when it fails, estrogen level goes up, and this causes low libido. And pituitary diseases reduce the amount of testosterone in the body,” says Sharlip.

9. Menopause. Women may experience low libido during menopause for a number of reasons. Estrogen levels drop suddenly during these years, causing vaginal tissue to become dry. That, in turn, can lead to discomfort and pain during intercourse and discourage a woman’s sexual desire. Menopause can also lower testosterone, the hormone that boosts libido in women as well as men.

10. Health Conditions. Serious systemic illnesses, such as cancer or kidney disease, can suppress testosterone levels and reduce sperm production. “The body essentially goes into survival mode and doesn’t pay much attention to non-survival functions like producing testosterone and sperm,” says Shindel. Low testosterone is also a side effect of other illnesses, such as renal disease, HIV, and diabetes.

11. Relationship Trouble. When a couple is fighting or feeling distant from each other, they're less likely to want to be intimate. Communication problems, anger, conflicts, resentment — all these negative emotions can carry over into the bedroom.

12. Lack of Time. Have you ever been too busy for sex? The hectic schedules of daily life can put your sex life on the backburner. “Some people assume there will be time for sex at the end of the day when there is nothing else going on,” says Irwin Goldstein, MD, clinical professor of surgery at University of California at San Diego, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital, and director of San Diego Sexual Medicine. “They don’t schedule sex.” But unless you make time for each other and for intimacy, it may not happen. Eventually lack of sex can lead to low libido.

Could Finger Length Predict Penis Length?

Prenatal hormones appear to govern both, new study suggests.

A look at the relative length of a man's index and ring fingers might be a good predictor of the length of his penis, according to South Korean researchers.

They found that the ratio between the second and fourth digits on a man's right hand seemed to correlate to the length of his flaccid and stretched penis, with a lower index-to-ring finger length ratio indicating a longer penis.

The key to this relationship may lie in the womb, the team added.

"During the fetal period, high concentrations of testosterone lead to high testicular activity, resulting in a lower digit ratio," explained a team led by In Ho Choi of Gacheon University Gil Hospital in Incheon. "In the present study, patients with a lower digit ratio tended to have a longer stretched penile length."

They added that the length of the stretched and flaccid penis does show "a strong correlation" with an erect penile length.

The study was published July 4 in the Asian Journal of Andrology.

The researchers noted that penile length and the second-to-fourth digit ratio in males are "thought to be fixed early in development." In each case, this involves a common set of genes that regulate prenatal hormones (including testosterone) to influence both limb development and the development of the urogenital system.

In the new study, Choi and colleagues compared the digit ratios of 144 Korean men aged 20 and older who were being treated for urological surgery. Researchers measured the index and ring fingers of each man's right hand and compared the ratio to the length of each man's fully stretched, flaccid penis (the latter data obtained under anesthesia).

In a journal commentary, Denise Brooks McQuade of Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., said the study results "provide convincing support for a relationship between digit ratio and penile length." She added that the findings might have real value for research into clinical conditions linked to developmental issues in men.